Newswise — Love them or hate them, a woman's hips are a vital part of her daily life, and keeping them healthy is important. Fracturing a hip can be incredibly serious. Only one in four women with a broken hip makes a full recovery and one out of four women over 50 who suffer a hip fracture dies within one year. Furthermore, more than 352,000 people in the U.S. suffer hip fractures each year, 90 percent as a result of a fall. Despite these statistics, awareness and concern of the risks associated with hip fracture remains low, according to Donnica Moore, M.D., president of the Sapphire Women's Health Group and nationally renowned women's health expert.

"Having healthy hips is vitally important to anyone who wants to live a healthy, active life," says Dr. Moore. "However, there is still room for most women to educate themselves on hip fracture and how to lower their risks."

According to a recent survey commissioned by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare among women aged 45 to 64, 80 percent of those polled said that they do not worry about hip fracture. Also, although 92 percent noted that hip fracture could lead to the loss of the ability to walk properly or at all, many did not realize some other serious consequences associated with it.

To help women increase their knowledge of hip health and share vital information about the condition with other women that they care about, Os-Cal has created a new online resource, www.oscal.com/bumpitup. This new Web site also helps women learn more about the risks of hip fracture and how to protect their hips, and features hip fracture facts, ways to reduce risk, questions to ask the doctor, information about calcium and vitamin D and useful tools like a calcium calculator and a fracture risk calculator. Each woman who passes along hip health information to a friend will receive a downloadable $3 coupon for any Os-Cal product, and visitors to the site can also enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to Hollywood.

Role of Calcium and Vitamin D

While about three out of four women said they consider taking care of their hips an important part of their healthcare regimen, not enough are taking the proper steps to do so. For instance, while taking a calcium and vitamin D supplement like Os-Cal is one of the best ways to keep bones strong, about a third of women 45 to 64 said they do not currently take one. Of those that do take calcium supplements, only about one out of six is taking them properly, in twice daily doses.

"Adequate calcium intake is one of the best defenses against hip fracture," says Dr. Moore. "And while many people assume they take in enough calcium, more than 75 percent of all Americans are not getting enough in their diet."

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), vitamin D is also essential for efficient calcium absorption " without it, bones can become thin and brittle. And like calcium, many people do not get enough. More than 70 percent of women 51 to 70 and almost 90 percent of women over 70 are vitamin D deficient.

"Even when women try to get enough calcium and vitamin D through diet, it's still usually not enough," says Dr. Moore. "Women can make simple choices in order to take a more active role in managing their bone health, and taking a calcium supplement like Os-Cal is a great first step."

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