Poster Presentation 33rd ASM of the Australian & New Zealand Bone & Mineral Society 2023

Associations Between Social Disadvantage and Bone, Muscle, and Physical Function Outcomes in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The SEBA Study (#238)

Jason Talevski 1 2 3 , Sharon Brennan-Olsen 2 , Alison Beauchamp 4 , Sara Vogrin 2 5 , Stefanie Bird 2 5 , Cassandra Smith 2 6 , Gustavo Duque 2 5 7
  1. Northern Health, Epping, VIC, Australia
  2. Australian Institute for Musculoskeletal Science (AIMSS), St Albans, VIC, Australia
  3. Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia
  4. Monash University, Waragul, VIC, Australia
  5. The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
  6. Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia
  7. McGill University, Quebec, Canada

Objectives: Health equity describes a concept that everyone should have an equal opportunity to achieve good health. This study aimed to explore whether bone, muscle, and physical function outcomes differ by socioeconomic status (SES).

Methods: Data were collected from 300 older adults (mean age: 66.4 years; 62% female; 201 with osteopenia/osteoporosis). This included bone mineral density (BMD), handgrip strength and several physical function measures (gait speed, 5STS, SPPB). SES measures included education, income/employment, social isolation and health literacy (HL). HL was measured using the HL questionnaire (HLQ) comprising nine distinct scales: 1) Support from health providers; 2) Having sufficient information to self-manage health; 3) Actively managing health; 4) Social support for health; 5) Appraisal of health information; 6) Engagement with health providers; 7) Navigating the healthcare system; 8) Ability to find health information; and 9) Understanding health information.

Results: Mean scores were lower in six HLQ scales for participants with osteopenia/osteoporosis compared to those with normal BMD, however these were not statistically significant. Associations were analysed in operational measures of sarcopenia (not sarcopenia diagnosis due to low prevalence; n=14, 4.7%). Positive correlations were seen between handgrip strength and HLQ scales 4-7 (p<0.05); faster 5STS times were associated with higher scores in most HLQ scales (except scale 4; p<0.05); and positive correlations were reported between gait speed and majority of HLQ scales (except 1, 6 and 7; p<0.05). Higher SES levels were significantly correlated with improvements in all muscle and physical function outcomes (Table 1).

Conclusions: This is one of the first studies to provide insights into the important role of SES and HL in musculoskeletal health. These findings are particularly relevant for clinicians and policy makers seeking to implement and/or develop interventions to improve prevention of osteopenia/osteoporosis and sarcopenia. We suggest clinical attention be directed towards specific social groups.

 

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