IOF Launches New Osteoporosis Website

IOF Launches New Osteoporosis Website

October 20, 2006

Major Features Include Enhanced Interactivity; New Database-Driven Architecture; Expanded, Latest Information for Patients, the Public, Health Care Professionals and the Media; New Section on Nutrition and Bone Health

    NYON, Switzerland, Oct. 20 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- The
International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) today
introduced an extensive, newly designed website in Hong
Kong as part of the global launch of World Osteoporosis
Day.

    The new website -- http://www.iofbonehealth.org --
replaces the previous site -- http://www.osteofound.org --
although the old address will continue to link to the new
one.

    The new website contains some 1,200 pages and is
expected to continue building on the popularity of the
existing website, which at present registers some 1.6
million hits per month. 

    "In spite of the success of the current site, it
was time for a change," noted IOF Chief Executive
Officer Daniel Navid.  "Our original website was
created in 1998 and obviously much has changed in the
amount of information available in the field of
osteoporosis, and also in website design and the way people
use the internet to obtain information. The new website
makes use of the latest technologies to provide targeted
and comprehensive information for a variety of users."


    Some highlights of the new website include:

    Access to national osteoporosis societies worldwide

    The IOF website continues to be the only source for
contact information and links to the IOF's 173 national
osteoporosis member societies in 86 locations, representing
some 82% of the world's population.

    Nutrition section

    This new section is particularly timely since it
provides information related to the World Osteoporosis Day
2006 theme "Bone Appetit: The role of nutrition in
building and maintaining strong bones". Special
features include an overview of nutrition and bone health;
a global recipe database featuring bone-friendly recipes
provided by the IOF's member societies; a novel calcium
calculator which is based on weekly calcium intake; and
tables of foods rich in calcium and vitamin D.

    Health Professionals

    Designed to provide doctors, nurses, and allied health
specialists with detailed information on osteoporosis, this
section includes special topics such as: bone biology;
secondary osteoporosis; diagnosis, treatment and care;
osteoporosis in men; the role of exercise in bone health;
and other osteoporosis-related issues.

    What is Osteoporosis?

    This well-illustrated section is now available for both
the public and, in more detail, for health professionals. It
offers a succinct, easy-to-read overview of osteoporosis,
and its prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

    Advocacy/Policy

    Newly revised and expanded, this section will feature
news on worldwide policy and lobbying initiatives, key
facts and statistics, and national osteoporosis guidelines
and other key resource documents, grouped by region of the
world.

    VIP quotes

    In this new section, entertainers, athletes, chefs and
osteoporosis advocates will offer personal messages to
inspire people with osteoporosis and help raise awareness
of issues important to patients and health care providers
alike.

    Technical innovations

    The new website makes extensive use of the most popular
web technologies, PHP (programming language) and MySQL
(database). It features an object-oriented, extensible
architecture that forms a solid foundation for the further
development of the website. An innovative approach to
content classification and linking was developed to make
the wealth of information accessible to different interest
groups.

    Sponsors

    Various sponsors, who are members of IOF Committee of
Corporate Advisors, have provided unrestricted educational
grants for the development of this website, particularly
Schering AG, Amgen, Tetra Pak, MSD, Novartis, and Fonterra
Brands.

    The new website was developed by Zephir, based in
Basel, Switzerland.

    Osteoporosis, in which the bones become porous and
break easily, is one of the world's most common and
debilitating diseases. The result: pain, loss of movement,
inability to perform daily chores, and in many cases,
death. One out of three women over 50 will experience
osteoporotic fractures, as will one out of five men (1, 2,
3). Unfortunately, screening for people at risk is far from
being a standard practice. Osteoporosis can, to a certain
extent, be prevented, it can be easily diagnosed and
effective treatments are available.

    1.  Melton U, Chrischilles EA, Cooper C et al. How many
women have 
        osteoporosis? Journal of Bone Mineral Research,
1992; 7:1005-10 

    2.  Kanis JA et al. Long-term risk of osteoporotic
fracture in Malmo. 
        Osteoporosis International, 2000; 11:669-674 

    3.  Melton LJ, et al. Bone density and fracture risk in
men. JBMR. 1998; 
        13:No 12:1915 

    For more information on osteoporosis and IOF please
visit:  http://www.iofbonehealth.org

    For more information, please contact:

     Paul Spencer Sochaczewski / Elena Grimaud-Ineichen
     International Osteoporosis Foundation - IOF
     Tel:   [phone]
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]

SOURCE  International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF)