North America
United States of America
It is estimated that by 2020 half of all Americans over the age of 50 will have weak bones, partly due to changes in population demographics and partly due to diet and lifestyle. The medical expense of treating osteoporosis and of caring for osteoporosis patients means that costs run into the billions.
Osteoporosis advocacy in the USA is led by the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), the nation’s leading health organization dedicated solely to osteoporosis and bone health. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2009, NOF delivers information and resources to help both patients and health professionals; fosters understanding of osteoporosis risk factors and prevention and treatment options; drives quality and patient access to care; and works to advance medical research.
Below is a list of recent key osteoporosis-advocacy related reports in the USA:
Released in October 2004, the Surgeon General's Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosisis is a comprehensive document, over 400 pages long, which took approximately two years to complete and was prepared by some of the United States' top scientists, doctors and public health experts. Divided into five sections, the Report strives to define bone health and bone disease in terms that the public can understand, reviews the status of the population's bone health in America and documents the magnitude of the problem facing the country. In addition, the report tackles the issue of what can be done to improve bone health-first from the perspective of the individual, then from the perspective of the health care professional, and finally from the perspective of the larger health system. The final section lays out a vision for the future.
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| Former US Surgeon General, Richard H. Carmona, at the launch of the report in 2004 |
Download a PDF of the booklet The 2004 Surgeon General's Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis: What It Means to You (PDF, 1.14 MB)
The full report can be found on the Surgeon General's website at www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/bonehealth/content.html
A short article written by IOF Board member Professor Ethel Siris for IOF's newsletter Osteoporosis Action, in March 2004, can be downloaded here (PDF, 474 KB)
The National Action Plan for Bone Health: Recommendations from the Summit for a National Action Plan for Bone Health provides an action plan and agenda to advance bone health promotion and disease prevention for the nation. It is a direct result of the Summit for a National Action Plan for Bone Health, which convened more than 150 stakeholders who share concern for America’s bone health in June 2008 in Washington, D.C. The action plan is structured around four priority areas: developing a bone health alliance; promoting bone health and disease prevention; improving diagnosis and treatment; and enhancing research, surveillance and evaluation. The report outlines recommended actions, responsibilities, and short-term and long-term timelines for priorities and programs for health professionals, health systems and population-based approaches to promote bone health. Click here to download the report
Visit the website of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, at www.nof.org, for details of this and other policy and advocacy initiatives in the USA.
Canada
In October 2010, Osteoporosis Canada issued new clinical practice guidelines, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal here.
Key publications on the burden of osteoporosis in Canada have been issued by Osteoporosis Canada. These include:
- White Paper (March 2011) 'Towards a Fracture-Free Future' : English (PDF, 1.01 MB), French (PDF, 1.04 MB)
'Breaking Barriers, Not Bones: 2008 National Report Card on Osteoporosis" (PDF, 873.1 KB). Issued in November 2008, this report assesses and grades Canadians' access to publicly-funded BMD testing and medication, two critical components of appropriate care for people living with osteoporosis.
- In 2004 Osteoporosis Canada released a white paper Osteoporosis: Preventing a Fractured Future (PDF, 276.5 KB). Using data from the Society's own evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis, together with evidence of a gap of care for osteoporosis in Canada, the policy document recommended priorities for Government action.
Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy
One successful outcome following publication of this white paper was that in 2005, a far-reaching osteoporosis strategy was announced in the province of Ontario, supported by an ongoing financial investment by the provincial Government. As a result of the Osteoporosis Strategy, two projects specifically targeted to seniors are proposed: the first, a plan for educating seniors on osteoporosis through increasing their awareness of the modifiable risk factors, symptoms of osteoporosis and the various treatment options which are currently available. The second project is the development of a prevention programme specifically designed for seniors. Although this is specifically an Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care initiative, the strategy provides a model that could be adopted by other provinces in Canada. Further information regarding the Ontario Initiative can found at: www.osteoporosis.ca/english/Breakthrough/background/default.asp?s=1
