Analysis of Factors Influencing Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women: A Cross-Sectional Study and Implications for Nursing Practice
Background:To analyze the bone mineral density (BMD) status of postmenopausal women, thereby providing a basis for precise clinical nursing interventions, an area that remains underexplored in tailored gerontological nursing practice.Methods:This was a retrospective and cross-sectional study. A total of 1375 postmenopausal women aged 45–59 years who underwent BMD examination at Jinhua Hospital of Zhejiang University from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025 were retrospectively enrolled. Demographic data, bone metabolism markers, sex hormones, blood lipids, and other relevant indices were collected. Participants were categorized into three groups based on BMD results: normal BMD, osteopenia, and osteoporosis. Intergroup comparisons were performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), or the χ2 test. Independent associated factors were identified using multinomial logistic regression, and subgroup analyses were performed.Results:Subgroup analysis revealed that BMD decreased with increasing age (p < 0.001) and decreasing body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001), and that BMD distribution also differed among occupational types (p = 0.001). Compared with the normal BMD group, univariate analysis and multinomial logistic regression showed that older age, lower BMI, lower serum calcium, and elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were independently associated with osteopenia (p < 0.05 for all). Estradiol levels also showed a statistically significant but clinically negligible association (p = 0.035). Older age, lower BMI, elevated ALP, lower testosterone, and elevated lipoprotein(a) levels were identified as independent predictors for osteoporosis (p < 0.05 for all).Conclusions:Increasing age, low BMI, increased bone turnover, reduced testosterone, and elevated lipoprotein(a) were identified as factors significantly associated with reduced BMD in postmenopausal women.