Osteoporosis & bone health

Changes in treatment eligibility with race-neutral US FRAX would be modest: estimates using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

Osteoporos IntPublished Cross-sectional study

Authors' conclusion

We found that changing US FRAX to a race-neutral calculator would only modestly increase treatment eligibility in US Black, Hispanic, and Asian people, while slightly decreasing eligibility in White people.

Study context

Population
Participants in NHANES 2013–2014 and 2005–2010, USA3,035 and 8458 participants
Exposure
Race-neutral FRAX vs current race-specific FRAX
Outcome
Change in osteoporosis treatment eligibility (thresholds 20% for MOF or 3% for hip fracture)
Methodological detailsNHANES 2013-2014 and 2005-2010, treatment thresholds 20% for major osteoporotic fracture (MOF) or 3% for hip fracture
  • NHANES 2013-2014 and 2005-2010
  • Treatment thresholds 20% for MOF or 3% for hip fracture

Main finding

As reported in the abstract

% eligible for treatment, race-specific → race-neutral FRAX, NHANES 2013-2014
  • White women: decreased from 18.4 to 14.9%
  • Black women: increased from 1.9 to 5.2%
  • Hispanic women: increased from 3.9 to 7.0%
  • Asian women: increased from 9.3 to 12.6%
  • Changes in men were even smaller

Observational data: associations, not effects.

Original publication

Changes in treatment eligibility with race-neutral US FRAX would be modest: estimates using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Osteoporos Int. Published 14 December 2025. doi:10.1007/s00198-025-07804-7

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