Today is World Osteoporosis Day, a “call-to-action” campaign focused on raising awareness and educating the public about the prevention of a common but often insufficiently appreciated disease.
What action is it calling for, you ask? According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the day is meant to motivate people “to advocate for better osteoporosis healthcare policies in government healthcare systems, private insurance companies, and corporate healthcare networks.”
Osteoporosis is a disease most common in older adults that reduces the density and quality of bone. Sufferers have an increased risk of fracture and a harder time healing their bones. One in three women and one in five men around the world are impacted by the disease.
The costs of treating the disease are greater than addressing many other major chronic illnesses. And because of the U.S.’s aging population, osteoporosis-related fractures in this country will likely increase two- to three-times over by mid-century. An estimated 80 percent of people at high risk for low bone density and who have suffered at least one fracture do not know they have osteoporisis and have received no treatment, making further fractures all the more likely.
Feel like doing something to mark the event where you live? Check out this handy list of national events, broken down by country. Canada, for instance, is hosting the fourth annual Bone Appétit Chef Challenge fundraising event, India has an essay competition for medical students and Brazilians will undertake a walk on Copacabana Beach. Even Palestine is in on the action with osteoporosis empowerment and educational camps for women.
If you can’t make it out today, the least you could do is drink a glass of milk.
Photo courtesy of tsuacctnt, via flickr