The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) this week launched its first issue-specific policy agenda, “Promoting Bone Health Through Policy: A Call to Action.” The Call to Action builds upon the women’s health policy priorities of the Society, as laid out in SWHR’s 2022 Women’s Health Policy Agenda, providing a more comprehensive look at how the implementation of key policy measures could yield benefits that lower health care costs and improve patient outcomes.
Bone health policy is a key priority focus of SWHR. Bone loss and fracture affect a large portion of the U.S. population, with an estimated 1.5 million individuals suffering a fracture due to bone disease each year. However, the risk of a fracture is greatest in women. Further, women account for 80% of the estimated 10 million Americans with osteoporosis, the most common form of bone disease. As the United States population ages, the societal and economic burden of fractures across the country is expected to rise.
Given this growing public health emergency, SWHR, with insights gleaned from its Bone Health Working Group during an April 2022 Roundtable, developed this bone health policy agenda to serve as a roadmap outlining key steps policymakers could take across the areas of education and prevention, coverage and access, and federal research to improve bone health outcomes across the lifespan. These steps, ranging from implementing a public health awareness campaign aimed at promoting a “bone healthy lifestyle” early to restoring reimbursement for dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) bone density scans, could improve the bone health of women from childhood through adulthood.