SynthesisPloS one2015
Comparison of Bone Mineral Density between Urban and Rural Areas: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 15 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Rural-urban differences in osteoporosis and sarcopenia prevalence among Gambian older adults: a pilot study.Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research · 2026Article
- Assessment of Osteoporotic Fracture Risk in Patients above 50 Years Using Quantitative Ultrasonography and Fracture Risk Assessment Tool: A Cross-sectional Study.Journal of orthopaedic case reports · 2026Article
- Knowledge of osteoporosis prevention among health science students in North Africa: a descriptive correlational cross-sectional study.Archives of osteoporosis · 2026Article
- Analysis of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) and Associated Risk Factors: A Single Center Study.Asia Oceania journal of nuclear medicine & biology · 2026Article
- Investigating the association between urban rural classification with fragility fractures and bone density in the UK: evidence from a large observational clinical cohort.Rheumatology advances in practice · 2026Article
- Bone health and its association with lifestyle factors among urban and rural middle-aged Indian adults.Archives of osteoporosis · 2025Article
- Air pollution and hip fracture risk in older people: a multi-center time-series DLNM study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Observational
- Geographical variation in osteoporosis in Australian women: a longitudinal analysis over 23 years.Archives of osteoporosis · 2024Article
- Bone Loss and Fractures in Post-Menopausal Women Living with HIV: A Narrative Review.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Effects of sex, tobacco smoking, and alcohol consumption osteoporosis development: Evidence from Taiwan biobank participants.Tobacco induced diseases · 2021Article
- Molecular and cellular mechanisms linking air pollution and bone damage.Environmental research · 2020Review
- Association of Ambient and Household Air Pollution With Bone Mineral Content Among Adults in Peri-urban South India.JAMA network open · 2020Article
- Effects of depression and antidepressant medications on hip fracture: A population-based cohort study in Taiwan.Medicine · 2016Observational
- Urban-Rural Differences in Bone Mineral Density: A Cross Sectional Analysis Based on the Hyderabad Indian Migration Study.PloS one · 2015Article
- Correction: Comparison of Bone Mineral Density between Urban and Rural Areas: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.PloS one · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundStudies from high income countries (HIC) have generally shown higher osteoporotic fracture rates in urban areas than rural areas. Low bone mineral density (BMD) increases susceptibility to fractures. This review aimed to assess whether urbanicity is consistently associated with lower BMD globally.
methodOvid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Global Health (-April 2013) were searched for articles investigating differences in bone mineral content (BMC) or BMD between urban and rural areas. Ratio of means (RoM) of BMD were used to estimate effect sizes in meta-analysis, with an exception for one study that only presented BMC data.
resultsFifteen articles from eleven distinct populations were included in the review; seven populations from four high income countries and four from three low and middle income countries (LMIC). Meta-analysis showed conflicting evidence for urban-rural difference in BMD; studies from high income countries generally showed higher BMD in rural areas while the results were more mixed in studies from low and middle income countries (HIC RoM = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.03 to 0.06; LMIC RoM = -0.04: 95% CI: -0.1 to 0.01).
conclusionsUrban-rural differences of bone mineral density may be context-specific. BMD may be higher in urban areas in some lower income countries. More studies with robust designs and analytical techniques are needed to understand mechanisms underlying the effects of urbanization on bone mass accrual and loss.
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