Osteoporosis is indeed becoming a household word, with more and more women being told they are likely to suffer an osteoporotic fracture. With this growing “fracture fear” in mind, we make special note of the recent data on declining US hip fracture incidence.

As detailed in a study by the Mayo Clinic, the hip fracture incidence among Caucasian women in the US peaked in the 1950s and has declined since then. Specifically, there was a 9% fall in hip fracture prevalence from 1973 to 1982. The hip fracture incidence for US Caucasian men peaked in the late 1980s.

This study can be found in the journal Osteoporosis International, vol. 8, no. 1, Feb 1998.