Improvement of the quality of life and the physical activity status in women with osteoporosis and osteopenia following physical activity intervention program

Abstract

Background. Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone density, affecting predominantly women, especially after menopause, and it is associated with a decrease in the quality of life. It is a known fact that a low level of physical activity represents a substantial risk for osteoporosis. Purpose. The purpose of the survey is to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with osteoporosis and osteopenia before and after a physical exercise intervention. Material and method. A prospective descriptive survey on 70 women with osteoporosis and osteopenia was carried out between April 2021 and February 2023 in the ambulatory of the Clinical Emergency Hospital “Prof. Dr. Agrippa Ionescu”, Bucharest, Romania. Data are collected using medical docu-ments (sociodemographic and anthropometric data, comorbidities, bone density level, osteoporosis treatment, etc), the Interna-tional Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) (physical activity level), and the Romanian version of the SF-36 (health-related quality of life). Results. The study included 70 female patients with osteoporosis (41.4%) and osteopenia (58.6%). All of the SF-36 doma-ins and the summary scales (physical and mental component scores) revealed significantly (except Social Functioning, p=0.158) higher mean values postinterventional than the baseline mean scores. The most remarkable improvements were observed in the following domains: Role limitation due to physical problems (18.5; p=0.003), Role limitation due to emotional problems (14.7; p=0.018), and General health (14.0; p<0.001). Conclusions. All dimensions of quality of life were significant improved after the exercise intervention program in the patients with osteoporosis and osteopenia.