Grant: Summer Program in Aging

In 2016, Canada's population reached a key demographic point, when the number of Canadians 65 years and older exceeded those younger than 14 years. As the population is aging, osteoporosis, fractures, and associated costs are expected to increase. In Canada, osteoporotic fractures bring an estimated annual cost of $4.6 billion to the health care system. Canadian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (CaMos) and Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) have been designed to provide insight into aging and skeletal health. CaMos has documented that the burden of osteoporotic fractures was associated with a combination of risk factors, including age, bone mineral density (BMD), and prior fracture. Using baseline data from the CLSA, we have recently shown that BMD and fracture rates differ among Canadians across different provinces, even after taking important skeletal health determinants into consideration. We concluded that these observed variations could be related to unmeasured individual, social and environmental factors. However, it is unclear how osteoporosis, fractures, and their determinants have changed among Canadians over time. Therefore, we now aim to determine how skeletal health determinants have changed over the past two decades in Canada by comparing baseline CaMos and CLSA participants' characteristics, skeletal health determinants, and anti-osteoporosis treatment practices. Understanding these differences will provide insight into the current burden of osteoporosis and guide the development and implementation of up-to-date management strategies.