
This investigation provides new insight into the correlates of BMD among older African Americans. As might be expected, female gender was highly associated with lower BMD. Of importance, however, is the substantial contribution of weight to the explained variability, while age diminishes in importance after adjustment for covariates. The association of weight with BMD or fractures has been reported previously in white women. In a case control study comparing African-American and white women hospitalized for hip fractures to other hospitalized patients, Pruzansky et al. showed a comparable effect of weight in both groups. Because of the case control methodology using a comparison group of patients hospitalized for other conditions, it is impossible to estimate the effect of weight on the risk of hip fracture from that study. A report from Rochester, MN looking at a smaller, younger population of African Americans, Caucasians and recent immigrants from Somalia similarly found that weight was the major predictor of bone density in all races.


































