West Virginia Bureau for Public Health
350 Capitol Street • Room 206 • Charleston, WV 25301
phone: 304-558-0644 fax: 304-558-1553

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Mission Statement

To reduce the prevalence of Osteoporosis and Arthritis in West Virginia by providing information on prevention and education, making available information on treatment, and lessening pain and disability by encouraging individuals to maintain productive lives.

West Virginians and Osteoporosis

  • In 2002, West Virginia had the oldest population in the nation with a median age of 38.9 years.
  • Women compose 51.4% of West Virginia's population.
  • In 2002, a total of approximately 77.5% of women and 44.4% of all men aged 50 + in West Virginia suffered from either osteoporosis or low bone mass.
  • One in two women and one in four men over the age of 50 will experience an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime.
  • In 1996, the estimated osteoporosis-related hospitalization cost in West Virginia exceeded $42 million dollars.
  • Between the years 1995-2015 an estimated 8,400 West Virginia women aged 50 + will die within a year following a hip fracture.
  • The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimated that if no action is taken, by the year of 2020 a total of 311,600 women and 154,700 men in West Virginia will have osteoporosis or low bone mass.
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