Table 1.
Characteristics of women with osteoporosis or osteopenia diagnosis according to prescription treatment status
| Study Sample (N = 3276) |
No Prescription (n = 1476) |
Prescription Treatment (n = 1800) |
P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk factors for fracture | ||||
| Age (mean) | 64.4 | 63.3 | 65.2 | < .001 |
| Fracture history, % | ||||
| None | 62.9 | 64.2 | 61.7 | .14 |
| 1 | 15.3 | 14.7 | 15.8 | .37 |
| ≥ 2 | 14.1 | 11.0 | 16.6 | < .001 |
| Osteoporosis, % | 69.0 | 63.3 | 73.6 | < .001 |
| BMI (mean) | 28.0 | 28.7 | 27.5 | < .001 |
| Family history of osteoporosis, % | 50.6 | 49.1 | 51.9 | .10 |
| Glucocorticoid use, % | 5.8 | 5.6 | 5.9 | .64 |
| Tobacco use, % | 21.3 | 24.1 | 19.1 | .001 |
| Daily alcohol use, % | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.8 | .73 |
| Health Status | ||||
| SF-12v2 score | ||||
| Physical summary | 40.4 | 39.1 | 41.4 | < .001 |
| Mental summary | 49.1 | 48.3 | 49.7 | < .001 |
| Exercise in past month, d | 6.8 | 6.4 | 7.2 | .01 |
| Years since diagnosis | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.5 | .48 |
| BMD testing, % | 85.5 | 79.3 | 90.6 | < .001 |
| Postmenopausal, % | 69.2 | 64.4 | 73.1 | < .001 |
| Hysterectomy with oophorectomy, % | 29.1 | 28.6 | 29.6 | .55 |
| Comorbidity index score | 1.02 | 1.07 | 0.97 | .04 |
| Prescription medications currently using for conditions other than osteoporosis, median | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.2 | .13 |
| Back pain, % | 32.1 | 36.0 | 28.8 | < .001 |
| Osteoarthritis, % | 50.5 | 55.6 | 46.3 | < .001 |
| Anxiety, % | 25.2 | 30.3 | 21.1 | < .001 |
| Depression, % | 24.0 | 26.6 | 21.9 | .002 |
| Disabled, % | 8.0 | 8.7 | 7.4 | 0.18 |
| Hospitalized (past 6 months), % | 12.5 | 12.3 | 12.7 | .69 |
| Provider visits (6 months),% | ||||
| PCP | 84.2 | 81.7 | 86.2 | .001 |
| Endocrinologist | 5.3 | 4.9 | 5.6 | .40 |
| Gynecologist | 16.0 | 14.3 | 17.4 | .02 |
| Nurse practitioner | 15.0 | 15.4 | 14.7 | .53 |
| Orthopedist | 12.8 | 13.1 | 12.6 | .69 |
| Rheumatologist | 9.0 | 7.5 | 10.2 | .008 |
| Provider visits (6 months), % | ||||
| 1-2 | 45.2 | 41.7 | 48.2 | < .001 |
| 3-6 | 35.6 | 36.7 | 34.8 | .27 |
| ≥ 7 | 10.9 | 10.8 | 10.9 | .92 |
| Demographic and Socioeconomic Characteristics | ||||
| Race/ethnicity, % | ||||
| White | 90.5 | 89.8 | 91.0 | .27 |
| African American | 3.5 | 3.0 | 3.9 | .17 |
| Hispanic | 2.7 | 3.1 | 2.3 | .17 |
| Other | 3.3 | 4.0 | 2.7 | .04 |
| Graduated college, % | 27.7 | 25.7 | 29.4 | .02 |
| Employed, % | 25.3 | 27.6 | 23.4 | .005 |
| Prescription coverage, % | 82.9 | 79.0 | 86.1 | < .001 |
| Income (thousand dollars/y), % | ||||
| < 25 | 24.9 | 27.2 | 23.1 | .02 |
| 25- < 50 | 30.7 | 31.4 | 30.1 | |
| 50- < 75 | 17.9 | 18.0 | 17.9 | |
| 75- < 100 | 8.2 | 7.1 | 9.1 | |
| 100- < 125 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.7 | |
| 125-150 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.6 | |
| ≥ 150 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 2.6 | |
| Out-of-pocket spending on prescriptions as a proportion of income | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.06 | .05 |
| Cost cutting actions, % | 16.4 | 17.8 | 15.3 | .05 |
| Ask for generic, % | 36.9 | 36.2 | 37.4 | .48 |
| Children in home | 0.18 | 0.22 | 0.15 | .002 |
| Marital status | ||||
| Married/partnered | 56.9 | 57.7 | 56.2 | .39 |
| Single | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.6 | .49 |
| Divorced/separated | 20.8 | 22.0 | 19.9 | .14 |
| Widowed | 17.9 | 16.2 | 19.3 | .02 |
Abbreviations: BMD = bone mineral density; BMI = body mass index; d = days; N = total number in study sample; n = number in subgroup; PCP = primary care provider; SF-12v2 = Short Form-12, version 2.0; y = year.