The social‑cognitive determinants of calcium intake for preventing osteoporosis in women in Isfahan: A cross‑sectional study using path analysis

Osteoporosis is a common disease in women over age 45 years. Calcium intake is among the factors that help prevent osteoporosis. Identifying the social‑cognitive determinants of calcium intake can have a major role in the development of osteoporosis prevention programs.

This cross‑sectional study was conducted on 400 women aged <50 years from 10 health centers by cluster sampling in Isfahan in 2016. A hypothetical social‑cognitive model was assessed using path analysis, and the fit indices and explanatory power of the model were assessed. The constructs, including self‑efficacy, outcome expectations, social support, and self‑regulation, were taken as the explanatory variables and calcium intake as the criterion variable.

The mean age of the participating women was 34.07 years (standard deviation = 7.99) (range = 19–50), and their mean calcium intake was reported as 909.94 (12. 6) mg/day. The conceptual model was able to explain 73% of the variance in calcium intake and had good fit indices. Self‑regulation was identified as the strongest predictor of calcium intake, and outcome expectation was eliminated from the model since it was the weakest explanatory factor of calcium intake.

The theoretical model of this study is recommended as a suitable framework for the development of targeted osteoporosis prevention interventions.