ARLINGTON, Va. , Oct. 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation announced that it has been awarded a major three-year grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to launch a national campaign to educate and raise awareness about osteoporosis.
BHOF is one of six organizations chosen by CDC through a nationwide competitive application process to advance education and awareness of chronic diseases for which "there is a clear disparity in public and professional awareness and do not have dedicated CDC funding." The grant funding will begin on September 30 , 2024. Approximately 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and 44 million have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for fracture.
Studies suggest approximately one in two women and up to one in three men aged 50+ will break a bone due to osteoporosis in their lifetime. In women 55 years of age and older, osteoporotic fractures account for more hospitalizations and hospital costs than myocardial infarction, stroke, and breast cancer. The annual cost for osteoporotic fractures in the US was $57 billion in 2018 and without reforms is expected to grow to over $95 billion in 2040, as the population ages.
Yet a 2017 Harris Poll survey found 82% of 1,000 postmenopausal women did not make the link between bone fractures and osteoporosis. "The need for greater public and health professional education and awareness about osteoporosis is clear," stated BHOF CEO Claire Gill . "BHOF is h.