Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health

The Korean Society for Preventive Medicine (대한예방의학회)
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Association Between Parity and Low Bone Density Among Postmenopausal Korean Women

  • Seo, Eunsun (Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, Yongrong (Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine) ;
  • Kim, Hyeon Chang (Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2021.03.26
  • Accepted : 2021.06.10
  • Published : 2021.07.31
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Abstract

Objectives: Low bone density (LBD) in the postmenopausal period has long been a pervasive public health concern; however, the association between parity and LBD has yet to be fully elucidated. Thus, we investigated the association between parity and LBD in postmenopausal Korean women. Methods: This study used baseline data from 1287 Korean postmenopausal women aged 40 years or older enrolled in the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Etiology Research Center community-based cohort study conducted in Korea from 2013 to 2017. The main exposure was parity (nullipara, 1, 2, 3+). The main outcome was LBD, including osteopenia and osteoporosis, based on bone mineral density measured using quantitative computed tomography of the lumbar spine (L1-2). Results: The mean age of participants was 57.1 years, and the median parity was 2. Of the 1287 participants, 594 (46.2%) had osteopenia and 147 (11.4%) had osteoporosis. No significant difference in the prevalence of LBD was found between nullipara and parous women, whereas higher parity was associated with a higher risk of LBD among parous women; the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for the presence of LBD was 1.40 (0.97 to 2.02) for a parity of 2 and 1.95 (1.23 to 3.09) for a parity of 3 relative to a parity of 1. Conclusions: Women who have given birth multiple times may be at greater risk of bone loss after menopause; therefore, they should be a major target population for osteoporosis prevention.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by a grant (HI13C0715) from the Korea Health Technology R&D Project, funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea.

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