Osteoporosis risk checker campaign

Delays in diagnosis and low public awareness causes 90,000 people with osteoporosis every year to miss out on the therapies needed to avoid life-changing fractures. These fractures are the fourth greatest cause of premature death and disability. Yet fracture risk is easily estimable with simple enquiries about family history and lifestyle.

ROS’s strategy is about seizing the missed opportunities for prevention. Our risk checker tool has enabled over 116,500 people to check their osteoporosis risk in just five months (versus a target of 52,000). We promoted the tool through our first ever multi-channel national advertising campaign, which proved highly effective at targeting women aged 45-54 – the group most likely to be at risk. Higher risk users were given advice about how to have a good conversation with their GP to get an early diagnosis. Lower risk people were given advice about how to keep their bones healthy as they age. The evaluation data indicates that over 9,000 people have been diagnosed early following their risk checker results, with the vast majority of them starting bone-strengthening treatment to prevent fractures. We beat our target (70%+) for inspiring behavioural change, with 86% making lifestyle adjustments to improve their bone health.