World Osteoporosis Day - October 20

World Osteoporosis Day is observed annually on 20 October, and launches a year-long campaign dedicated to raising global awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease

Organized by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), World Osteoporosis Day involves campaigns by national osteoporosis patient societies from around the world with activities in over 90 countries

World Osteoporosis Day was launched on October 20, 1996 by the United Kingdom’s National Osteoporosis Society and supported by the European Commission

Since 1997, the day has been organised by the International Osteoporosis Foundation.

 In 1998 and 1999, the World Health Organisation(WHO) acted as co-sponsor of World Osteoporosis Day.

World Osteoporosis Day Themes

• 1996: Awareness
• 1997: Awareness
• 1998: Awareness
• 1999: Early Detection
• 2000: Building Bone Health
• 2001: Bone Development in Youth
• 2002: Preventing a First Fracture
• 2003: Quality of Life
• 2004: Osteoporosis in Men
• 2005: Exercise
• 2006: Nutrition
• 2007: Risk Factors
• 2008: Advocate for Policy Change
• 2009: Advocate for Policy Change
• 2010: Signs and Symptoms of Spinal Fractures
• 2011: 3 Steps to Prevention: Calcium, Vitamin D and Exercise
• 2012: Stop at One: Make your First Break your Last
• 2013: Strong Women Make Stronger Women
• 2014: Real Men Build Their Strength from Within
• 2015: Serve Up Bone Strength
• 2016: Love Your Bones - Protect your Future

Long thought to be a "women's disease", osteoporosis can affect men too because apart from the hormonal changes around menopause, factors such as low testosterone levels, sedentary lifestyle choices, excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking or tobacco-use can also contribute to the disease, health experts suggest.

Osteoporosis, which causes bones to become weak and brittle, affects more women because they tend to have thinner bones than men.

Moreover, it is also known that as women reach menopause, their vulnerabilities to the disease go up because estrogen, a hormone in women that protects bones, decreases sharply during this time.