International Journal of Medicine · Feb 26, 2026
Camp Based Bone Mineral Density Screening as a Tool for Skeletal Health Awareness: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Calcaneal Quantitative Ultrasound
Background: Objective: Osteoporosis is defined as a systematic bone disease that is characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of the microarchitecture of the bone, leading to fragility of bone and eventually fractures. In India, osteoporosis is a serious public health issue. However, it might be challenging to diagnose and effectively manage osteoporosis in the Indian context. Data show that osteoporotic fractures happen sooner in age among Indians than in the West; hence, osteoporosis screenings should start sooner. Therefore, we conducted this study to investigate the impact of factors such as social and demographic profile, dietary habits, menstrual status, and physical activity level. And the study also aims to assess awareness about the importance of bone mineral density (BMD) estimation for early diagnosis and treatment of osteopenia/osteoporosis. Method: A hospital-based camp for screening bone mineral density organized at a tertiary care teaching hospital in New Delhi. We measured BMD using calcaneal quantitative ultrasonography. WHO criteria-based T scores were used to classify patients as normal, osteopenic, and osteoporotic, respectively. Result: A total of 175 persons attended the camp: 55 males and 120 females. Their ages range from 27 to 77, with a mean age of 51.93. Osteopenia was present in 56 % of the subjects and osteoporosis in 31%. Low BMD was positively correlated with increasing age, postmenopausal status, low dietary calcium intake, and physical inactivity. No significant association was observed with body mass index (BMI) and low BMD. Conclusion: A camp-based approach helps identify subclinical cases of osteopenia and osteoporosis in the community. It can also help increase awareness of skeletal health, especially in developing countries where a large population cannot afford expensive investigations like BMD estimation using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans.