When was the last time you thought about your bone health? If the answer is never, you’re not alone.
New figures from YouGov have revealed that 79% of UK adults – that’s almost 8 in 10 of us – have never checked our bone health. More worrying still, that includes three-quarters of women, who face the greatest risk.
Yet we know that half of women over 50, along with a fifth of men, will suffer broken bones due to osteoporosis.
Often called the ‘silent’ condition, osteoporosis has no obvious symptoms until you break a bone. Over 3.5 million people in the UK are living with the condition right now.
But there will be thousands more who have no idea they are at risk. I consider myself very lucky. As a GP, I’m all too aware of the risks of osteoporosis and I knew I was at risk. A simple bone scan revealed I had severe osteoporosis (I’ve rarely seen bones as badly affected as mine except in 90 year olds) and I was able to access effective treatment, which has increased the density of my bones by almost a third. I know I’ll need to be on treatment life-long, but that’s a very small price to pay to avoid multiple fractures.
If you have osteoporosis, a simple cough, sneeze or stumble could be enough to trigger a fracture. Along with spinal fractures, broken hips are among the most common fractures caused by osteoporosis. If you fracture your hip, you’re up to eight times more likely to die within three months and 3-4 times more likely to die within a year than others. And up to 3 in 4 people who walked independently before they break a hip never regain the same level of independence (references here and here).
As well as the pain, broken bones caused by osteoporosis can affect your daily life, reduce independence and, in the worst cases, lead to life-changing disability or even death.
Osteoporosis is one of the most urgent threats to us living well in later life, but it can affect you earlier than you think.
That’s why we need to tackle this chronic lack of awareness now.
The good news? There are a wide range of easy changes we can make to protect our bones. The trouble is, you'll only know to take action if you’re aware of your risk.
The Great British Bone Check from the Royal Osteoporosis Society will help all of us to take ownership of our bone health and prevent avoidable breaks, before it’s too late.
The free, online tool can help you spot your osteoporosis risk factors in less than three minutes - empowering you to act and protect your future.
Knowing your risk now will help you stay stronger for longer.
Take the Great British Bone Check today.
Figures: YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2082 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 5th - 8th September 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).