RESUMEN
PURPOSE: This study was to examine the relationship of knowledge, health beliefs, and prevention behaviors of osteoporotic fracture in outpatients with osteoporosis. METHODS: The subjects were 120 outpatients receiving osteoporosis treatment on K hospital in G city from Dec. 2007 to Feb. 2008. Questionnaires were collected and analyzed using the SPSS/WIN 12.0 program for descriptive statistics, and t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Subjects were treated for fracture about 28 months. The mean score of knowledge, health belief and prevention behaviors in subjects were 17.5 +/- 3.22, 2.8 +/- 0.23 and 2.8 +/- 0.38 respectively. The score of health belief recorded the lowest point. However, the score of knowledge varied with general and disease-related characteristics of subjects. In contrast, the score of prevention behaviors did not showed any significant differences. Fracture prevention behavior in subjects showed rather higher relationship with the health belief system than the knowledge of fracture prevention. CONCLUSION: The present work suggested that education program for prevention behaviors of fracture should be developed to focus on altering the health belief system rather than the knowledge of osteoporotic fracture prevention. Furthermore, individual education program based on living circumstances and daily life habits should be also developed.