WASHINGTON — Obese women are less likely to be screened for osteoporosis than are normal- or overweight women, according to findings from a study of more than 140,000 women included in an integrated health care plan database.
Previous studies have shown mixed results on the disparity in preventive health care for obese patients, compared with normal-weight patients, said Kristi Reynolds, Ph.D., of Kaiser Permanente in Pasadena, Calif., and her colleagues.
“It is largely unknown whether obesity is associated with the quality of care for osteoporosis, which is both preventable and treatable but is often undiagnosed and untreated,” the researchers said. Physicians may be less inclined to screen obese women for osteoporosis because body weight is associated with higher bone density, they suggested.
Data from 146,975 health care provider visits in 2007 and 2008 were reviewed.
The average age of the women was 73 years; 35% were normal weight; 35% were overweight; and 19%, 7%, and 4% fell into obesity categories I, II, and III, respectively. Normal weight body mass index (BMI) was defined as 18.5-24.9 kg/m
About 67% of the women had undergone bone mineral density testing within 4 years of the study, which was the criteria by which participants could be considered “screened.” Only 52% of women with a BMI of 40 kg/m
After controlling for age, race, and income, the odds ratio of osteoporosis screening for overweight women was 0.99, while the odds ratios for women in obese classes I, II, and III groups were 0.90, 0.77, and 0.60, respectively. The findings were presented in a poster at the the annual meeting of the Obesity Society.
The researchers are employees of Kaiser Permanente. They reported having no financial conflicts of interest.
—Heidi Splete