Health Promotion and Maintenance Q 139
Nurse Cecile is teaching a female client about preventing osteoporosis. Which of the following teaching points is correct?
A. Obtaining an X-ray of the bones every 3 years is recommended to detect bone loss.
B. To avoid fractures, the client should avoid strenuous exercise.
C. The recommended daily allowance of calcium may be found in a wide variety of foods
D. Obtaining the recommended daily allowance of calcium requires taking a calcium supplement.
Correct Answer: C. The recommended daily allowance of calcium may be found in a wide variety of foods.
Premenopausal women require 1,000 mg of calcium per day. Postmenopausal women require 1,500 mg per day. It’s often, though not always, possible to get the recommended daily requirement in the foods we eat.
Option D: Supplements are available but not always necessary.
Option A: Osteoporosis doesn’t show up on ordinary X-rays until 30% of the bone loss has occurred. Bone densitometry can detect bone loss of 3% or less. This test is sometimes recommended routinely for women over 35 who are at risk.
Option B: Strenuous exercise won’t cause fractures. Weight-bearing aerobics exercises and resistance training are good for people with osteoporosis.