Effect of Educational Intervention on Osteoporosis Preventive Practices Among Premenopausal Women in Selected Tertiary Educational Institutions in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Abstract:

Background: Osteoporosis is one of the most common degenerative diseases, occurring more frequently in women. It is characterized by reduced bone mass and deterioration of bone structure. Osteoporosis is particularly insidious because it has no symptoms, and is often discovered after a fragility fracture has already occurred. Literature has established that prior awareness of the condition could help in promoting better preventive practices. Thus, this study examined the effects of a health educational intervention on osteoporosis preventive practices among premenopausal women in selected tertiary educational institutions in Lagos State, Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: The study employed quasi-experimental design. The population of study was premenopausal women working at two tertiary educational institutions in Lagos State, and was estimated to be 461. A total sample size of 60 was determined using the Power formula. Purposive sampling was used. Participants were grouped into one experimental group and one control group. A semi-structured, validated questionnaire, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.78 to 0.84 was used to collect data at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at the 12th week follow-up. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at a 5% level of significance. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 37.15 ± 1.79 years. At baseline, no significant difference (p > 0.05) was found to exist between mean scores for the control group (CG) (6.40 ± 2.31) and the experimental group (EG) (6.77 ± 2.73). At immediate post-intervention, there was significant difference (p < 0.05) between the mean scores for the CG (6.60 ± 2.08) and the EG (17.00 ± 7.62), and effect size (ES) was found to be 2.01. Finally, at 12th week, there was significant difference (p < 0.005) between the CG (7.20 ± 2.25) and the EG (19.73 ± 4.96), and ES was found to be 3.25, indicating that the intervention had a considerable effect on the experimental group. CONCLUSION: The educational intervention was an effective tool for improving preventive practices pertaining to osteoporosis among premenopausal women in Lagos State. It is recommended that time and resources be invested in comprehensive health education pertaining to osteoporosis and its prevention, to ensure that premenopausal women become more knowledgeable about the disease and its predisposing factors, in order to prevent its occurrence in old age.