Grant: Project Grant

Osteoporosis is considered a women's disease. Yet, the burden of osteoporotic fractures in men is substantial, and men suffer significantly more complications following a fracture than women. Men who fracture experience higher rates of institutionalization and of subsequent fractures, and are more likely to die than women. Nevertheless, men do not perceive themselves at risk for osteoporosis. Although there are effective medications and fall prevention interventions to reduce risk, men are less likely to pursue or persist with osteoporosis management. Digital technologies such as telehealth and mobile applications have increasingly been adopted since the beginning of the COVID 19 pandemic. Now more than ever, they must be harnessed to enhance access to care and support patients in chronic disease management and behaviour change. Our long-term goal is to lead a large study to determine if in men at high risk for fractures, a gender-sensitive, telehealth intervention to implement anti-osteoporosis pharmacotherapy, nutritional counseling and strength/balance training reduces falls and fracture risk compared to standard care. To this end, we propose a pilot study across Canada to determine the feasibility of recruitment, the acceptability of the intervention and responsiveness of the outcomes measurements to the intervention, in preparation for a future larger international clinical trial to address the large care gap in men.