Association between socioeconomic deprivation and bone health status in the UK biobank cohort participants

The effect of deprivation on total bone health status has not been well defined. We examined the relationship between socioeconomic deprivation and poor bone health and falls and we found a significant association. The finding could be beneficial for current public health strategies to minimise disparities in bone health.

Socioeconomic deprivation is associated with many illnesses including increased fracture incidence in older people. However, the effect of deprivation on total bone health status has not been well defined. To examine the relationship between socioeconomic deprivation and poor bone health and falls, we conducted a cross-sectional study using baseline measures from the United Kingdom (UK) Biobank cohort comprising 502,682 participants aged 40–69 years at recruitment during 2006–2010.

We examined four outcomes: 1) low bone mineral density/osteopenia, 2) fall in last year, 3) fracture in the last five years, and 4) fracture from a simple fall in the last five years. To measure socioeconomic deprivation, we used the Townsend index of the participant’s residential postcode.

At baseline, 29% of participants had low bone density (T-score of heel < -1 standard deviation), 20% reported a fall in the previous year, and 10% reported a fracture in the previous five years. Among participants experiencing a fracture, 60% reported the cause as a simple fall. In the multivariable logistic regression model after controlling for other covariates, the odds of a fall, fracture in the last five years, fractures from simple fall, and osteopenia were respectively 1.46 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.42–1.49), 1.26 times (95% CI 1.22–1.30), 1.31 times (95% CI 1.26–1.36) and 1.16 times (95% CI 1.13–1.19) higher for the most deprived compared with the least deprived quantile.

Socioeconomic deprivation was significantly associated with poor bone health and falls. This research could be beneficial to minimise social disparities in bone health.