Earlier this month, Dr Anna Spångeus, Chair of the Swedish Osteoporosis Society, met with Jakob Forssmed, Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health (shown right in the picture), to discuss important measures to improve bone health in Sweden.

Dr Spångeus, Senior Associate Professor in Endocrinology at Linköping University and Chair of the Swedish Osteoporosis Society (SVOS), stated: “I had a fruitful conversation with the Minister. Awareness of osteoporosis needs to be raised and we need to do much more in terms of both treatment and prevention. The reports of increased sedentary behaviour among children and young people are worrying. Not exercising while growing up risks not maximising bone development, which can increase the risk of osteoporosis later in life. This is bad for children, but also for Sweden, as we already have one of the most osteoporotic populations in the world.” 

Young people's sedentary behaviour is increasing in Sweden

In Sweden, one in two women and one in four men suffer from osteoporosis. This has a very high cost to society. Every year, around 120,000 osteoporosis-related fractures occur.¹ These account for a very large proportion of emergency care. Nevertheless, despite the enormous burden of the disease, which contributes to high societal costs and suffering, osteoporosis is currently severely under-diagnosed and under-treated.² 

Early prevention begins with getting children and young people to be more physically active, so that they build up their bones to the maximum and can reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis later in life. 

“Unfortunately, we see that the trend is going in the wrong direction, with increased sedentary behaviour and screen time among children and young people. If we don't reverse this trend, we risk an even greater burden of fractures in the healthcare system. Awareness of the long-term consequences of sedentary behaviour must increase - both at the individual and at the societal levels,” added Dr Spångeus.

The Swedish Osteoporosis Society (SVOS) is dedicated to raising public and political awareness about osteoporosis and its far-reaching consequences for individuals and society. Since 2024, the society has been honoured to have Her Majesty Queen Silvia serve as its patron.

-> Read more about the Swedish Osteoporosis Society (SVOS). 

###

References:
1.    Osteoporos.org, ”Om osteoporos”, hämtad 251028. 
2.    Janusinfo (2024) ”Utred och behandla osteoporos hos fler”, hämtad 250128.