2 minute read
Osteoporosis awareness: educating early
by IN-SPHERE
It may predominantly affect adults but osteoporosis is often referred to as a paediatric disease with adult consequences.
That’s because 90% of bone density is laid down between the ages of 10 and 30. Ensuring preventative measures are taken at this stage of development is critical in preventing osteoporosis. Therefore, the high school period is a critical time to implement strategies which enhance bone health.
However, Australia currently has little to no information on the importance of preventing osteoporosis in the high school curriculum.
The establishment of a school education program was identified as a priority in the National Strategic Action Plan for Osteoporosis in 2019, and SPHERE’s Musculoskeletal Clinical Academic Group took up the challenge, securing a Grant from the Australian Government to develop an Interactive Bone Health Education Program. Bringing together the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the University of Sydney, the aim was to develop, pilot test, and evaluate an educational-based intervention targeted at Australian high school students in years 7-10, aged between 12-16 years.
The program, codesigned with PDHPE Teachers and consisting of four interactive, online modules as well as downloadable workbooks, reached 220 secondary students across seven NSW public high schools.
Two educational videos have also been produced to go alongside the program; “What is Osteoporosis? – A Science Animation” and “What does osteoporosis look like? – a 360 Degree animation”. These videos use molecular animation to take students deep inside bones and show them how bone tissue is a living organ, and not just an inanimate skeleton. These videos are gaining traction with over 6,300 and 3,300 views on YouTube so far.
While evaluations are currently in progress, plans are underway to expand the program nationally.
The full set of resources is ready to teach and freely available at:
