BONE MASS IN PHYSICIANS: Methods and Materials

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A total of 100 staff physicians were enrolled in the study. There were 52 men and 48 women with an age range of 27-79 years (mean 43.40±14.3). The study population was composed of the following groups: African (n=18), African-American (n=32), Asian (n=31), Caribbean (n=16), Caucasian (n=2) and Hispanic (n=l). The exclusion criteria included current pregnancy, history of hyperthyroidism, liver disease, kidney disease, and persons taking medications or recreational drugs that affect bone metabolism. Signed informed consent was obtained for each participant. This study was approved by the Howard University Institutional Review Board.

Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA; Hologic QDR 1000, Hologic, Inc.) was used to measure the bone mineral density at the lumbar spine (L1-L4) and at the femoral neck of the right and left hip. The WHO’s definition of low bone mineral density was used in the study. Osteopenia was defined as a T-score (peak bone mass) from 1 SD to 2.5 SD below the mean value for 100 young adult women or men, while a T-score greater than 2.5 SD or more below the mean indicated osteoporosis.
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Validated calcium and exercise questionnaires were given to the subjects. The height and weight of the subjects were obtained, and body mass indices (BMI) were calculated and expressed as kg/m². Study participants were grouped as normal (18.5-24.9 kg/m²), underweight (<18.5 kg/m²), overweight (25-29 kg/m²), and obese (>30 kg/m²). Calcium intake for men of 1,000 mg/day and premenopausal women of 1,200 mg/day (postmenopausal women = 1,500 mg/day) was considered to be adequate. The amount of the caffeinated coffee and tea consumed were also evaluated. Two eight-ounce cups or less per day were considered not to affect bone mineral density. Exercise was considered to be adequate if the subjects exercised for at least 30-40 minutes three times per week.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

The frequency of the study group’s basic characteristics and the frequency of the number of cases of generic osteoporosis and osteopenia are expressed as ±SD and the mean. Categorical variances are expressed as percentages. Pearson chi-square was used to compare the relationship among osteoporosis, osteopenia, and the variables (age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index, calcium intake, exercise, and caffeinated coffee and tea intake). Logistic regression analysis was used to determine which of the variables had the greatest impact on the etiology of low bone mass. All analyses were done using Windows Statistical Package for Social Services (SPSS), version 10.1.
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