Effects of an osteoporosis educational programme for men.

AIM: This paper reports an evaluation of the effects on knowledge, health beliefs and preventive behaviours of an osteoporosis educational programme for men. BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is an increasing global health concern, and educational programmes have been identified as a crucial strategy in its prevention. However, the effectiveness of osteoporosis educational programmes has mainly been evaluated in women. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was carried out to identify the effects of an osteoporosis educational programme for men. The study was conducted between September 2004 to February 2005, and 128 Hong Kong Chinese men were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group, with 64 in each group. The intervention group attended an osteoporosis educational programme. All participants completed pre- and post-test self-administered questionnaires: Osteoporosis Knowledge Test, Osteoporosis Health Belief Scale and Osteoporosis Self-Efficacy Scale. RESULTS: The intervention group showed a statistically significant increase in both knowledge (P < 0.0005) and health beliefs (P = 0.007) about osteoporosis and preventive behaviours in comparison with the control group. However, the difference in self-efficacy between the two groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.154). CONCLUSIONS: An osteoporosis educational programme can increase men's knowledge levels and change their health beliefs about osteoporosis and preventive behaviours. This approach should be more widely used in nursing practice to promoting the adoption of osteoporosis prevention behaviours in men.