--- title: "High proportion with low bone status by calcaneal QUS in rural northern Vietnam screening attendees" id: "bmj-open-16-low-bone-status-on-calcaneal-quantitative-ultrasound-among-community-screening" canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/bmj-open-16-low-bone-status-on-calcaneal-quantitative-ultrasound-among-community-screening" content_type: "clinical_feed_article" specialty: "Endocrinology" source_name: "BMJ Open" source_url: "http://bmjopen.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/16/9/e120565?rss=1" published_at: "2026-09-25T12:39:44.000Z" evidence_level: "Journal Feed" license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use" --- # High proportion with low bone status by calcaneal QUS in rural northern Vietnam screening attendees ## Provenance & Clinical Metadata - **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/bmj-open-16-low-bone-status-on-calcaneal-quantitative-ultrasound-among-community-screening - **Specialty:** [Endocrinology](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/endocrinology.md) - **Primary Source:** BMJ Open - **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](http://bmjopen.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/16/9/e120565?rss=1) - **Published At:** 2026-09-25T12:39:44.000Z - **Evidence Rating:** Journal Feed ## Executive GIST (TL;DR) - This community-based cross-sectional study evaluated **low bone status** using calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (**QUS**) among adults aged 50+ attending a one-off bone health screening in a rural Hanoi commune between October and December 2025. - The screening took place in Kieu Phu (population ≈ 60,900). A total of 592 community-dwelling adults participated; mean age was 74.8 years (SD 7.7) and 58.4% were women. - Primary outcome was low bone status defined as a QUS T-score ≤ -2.5. Overall, 355 of 592 participants met this threshold (60.0%, 95% CI 56.0% to 63.8%). - In multivariable logistic regression, **female sex** had the strongest independent association with low bone status (adjusted OR 8.71, 95% CI 5.77–13.15). - Underweight participants had higher odds of low bone status compared with BMI 18.5–22.9 kg/m² (adjusted OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.15–3.87). - Age ≥70 years, education level, former occupation, main income source, high sodium intake, hypertension and diabetes mellitus were not independently associated with low bone status in adjusted analyses. - Authors note these results are not population prevalence estimates because attendees were self-selected screening participants rather than a probability sample. - Calcaneal QUS is not equivalent to DXA-based diagnosis but may facilitate early risk identification where DXA is not available, provided screening is linked to confirmatory assessment and referral pathways. ## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points Objective To estimate the proportion with low bone status among adults aged 50 years and older attending a community bone health screening programme in rural northern Vietnam, using calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (QUS), and to examine associated factors. Design Community-based cross-sectional study. Setting Kieu Phu, a rural commune of Hanoi, Vietnam (population approximately 60 900), where a one-off community bone health screening programme was conducted between October and December 2025. Participants A total of 592 community-dwelling adults aged 50 years and older attending the screening programme. Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was low bone status, operationally defined as a QUS T-score ≤ - 2.5. Crude and adjusted ORs were estimated using logistic regression. Results The mean age of participants was 74.8 years (SD 7.7) and 58.4% were women. Overall, 355 of 592 participants had low bone status on calcaneal QUS (60.0%, 95% CI 56.0% to 63.8%). In the adjusted model, female sex showed the strongest association with low bone status (adjusted OR 8.71, 95% CI 5.77 to 13.15), and underweight participants had higher odds than those with a body mass index of 18.5 - 22.9 kg/m² (adjusted OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.15 to 3.87). Age ≥70 years, education level, former occupation, main income source, high sodium intake, hypertension and diabetes mellitus were not independently associated with low bone status. Conclusions Low bone status on calcaneal QUS was common among attendees of a rural community screening programme in northern Vietnam and was independently associated with female sex and underweight status. Because participants were screening attendees rather than a probability sample, these findings are not prevalence estimates for the wider rural population. Calcaneal QUS is not equivalent to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-based diagnosis but may support early risk identification where DXA access is limited, provided screening is linked to accessible confirmatory assessment and referral. ## Related Clinical Research - [Self-Management Program Lowers HbA1c, eGFR, SBP, LDL-C in High-Risk DKD Patients with Type 2 Diabe](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/plos-one-11-effectiveness-of-a-self-management-intervention-on-clinical-outcomes-among.md) - [Safety comparison of imeglimin versus sitagliptin in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/plos-one-8-comparative-safety-of-imeglimin-versus-sitagliptin-in-japanese-patients-with.md) - [Knowledge of Metabolic Syndrome and Lifestyle Risks in Women Attending Kasoa Polyclinic, Ghana](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/medrxiv-13-knowledge-of-metabolic-syndrome-lifestyle-risk-behaviours-and-preventive.md) - [Diabetes testing, undiagnosed burden and care cascade in Kenya: Findings from the 2015 STEPwise su](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/medrxiv-7-diabetes-testing-care-cascade-and-the-burden-of-undiagnosed-diabetes-in-kenya.md) - [Cardiometabolic risk across post-DST cortisol levels in adrenal incidentaloma patients](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42804108.md) (DOI: 10.1007/s12020-026-04794-2) ## Navigation - [← Back to Endocrinology Feed](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/endocrinology.md) - [← All Clinical Specialties](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed.md) ## Medical & Regulatory Disclaimer > [!CAUTION] > MedicHelpline content is structured for research, educational, and professional discovery purposes. 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