unfortunate racial disparities

Although osteoporosis is more prevalent in women of Caucasian and Asian descent, it is still disconcerting to see this study in the Southern Medical Journal (http://www.smajournalonline.com/pt/re/smj/abstract.00007611-200707000-00006.htm;jsessionid=Gm6Y9SsYgqyfYBv21vS3KBLhSnrFnPdb1fNWnNW3M8Jplydp0HyR!1683421839!181195628!8091!-1). This research indicates that white women (ages 45 and older) had almost six time the odds of having had a bone density test compared to black women, along with higher probabilities of having discussed osteoporosis with their physician or been recommended to take calcium. These results held true even accounting for risk factors such as family history and fractures. Hopefully these troubling statistics will change as more people become aware of the consequences of osteoporosis.