Sociodemographic factors associated with calcium intake in premenopausal women: a cross-sectional study

Objective: To describe associations between sociodemographic factors and calcium intake in premenopausal women. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Population-based. Subjects: A total of 467 randomly selected, predominantly Caucasian Tasmanian women aged 25 - 44 y, response rate 63%. Main outcome measures: calcium intake, sociodemographic factors, anthropometrics, osteoporosis knowledge and self-efficacy. Results: Education level, calcium-specific osteoporosis knowledge and self-efficacy were all independently associated with calcium intake ( P<0.05). The odds of achieving the recommended dietary intake for calcium increased with higher levels of calcium- specific self-efficacy and knowledge, and decreased in smokers or if the household's main financial provider was unemployed ( P<0.05). Conclusions: Women who have lower levels of education, who are in households where the main financial provider is unemployed, who are smokers, and those with low levels of calcium- specific self-efficacy and knowledge are at risk of not achieving adequate calcium intake. This information will assist targeting of public health strategies aimed at improving the calcium intake of premenopausal women. Sponsorship: This study was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council grant and the Government of Tasmania.