Study of Indigenous Muscle & Bone Ageing (SIMBA): why fall and fracture risk increased.

There is a need to identify WHY fall and fracture risk is increased among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a substantially greater fracture risk: men are 50% and women are 26%, more likely to experience a hip fracture vs non-Indigenous Australians. In addition, hip fractures occur at a much younger mean age in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people vs non-Indigenous Australians (men:65 vs 81yrs; women:74 vs 83yrs). Fall-related injuries in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people increased by an average of 10%/year, while the average increase in non-Indigenous Australians was 4.3%/year; recurring falls are also high in this population: 15% had one fall and 11% had +2 falls in the past year. Despite a paucity of data on musculoskeletal health literacy, community consultation suggests this is poor. By characterising bone strength and physical function, and increasing health literacy, SIMBA will determine causes of falls and fracture among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and establish an effective and scalable intervention. We will utilise state-of-the-art bone imaging devices, including, the high resolution peripheral quantitive computed tomography (HR-pQCT) and the clinical gold standard dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). This study is funded by Healthy Bones Australia and an investigator-initiated grant from Amgen.