OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of Osteoporosis and related factors using Quantitative Ultrasound(QUS) in menopausal women in rural and urban area. METHODS: A total of 1136 women aged 40 to 60 years, living in Wardha, and free of illnesses affecting bone metabolism were randomly selected to participate in the study. Subjects' bone mass was assessed by speed of sound at the calcaneus, referred to as quantitative ultrasound measurement. The threshold, defined as -1.8, was used to identify subjects with osteoporosis. RESULT: The crude prevalence of osteoporosisin our study was 15%. Among premenopausal women, the crude prevalence of osteoporosis was higher in the urban areas compared with the rural areas. By contrast, postmenopausal women in the rural areas had a higher-prevalence of osteoporosis. DISCUSSION : The optimal method for diagnosing osteoporosis is to measure bone mineral density by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at the hip and lumbar spine. However, it is very difficult to apply this procedure in community-based studies because of its lack of portability and its cost. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) measurement, a technique for measuring the peripheral skeleton, has been proposed because it can be performed quickly, is relatively inexpensive, is portable, and involves less radiation. Thus, QUS could be an ideal tool to screen for osteoporosis at the community level. CONCLUSION: The crude prevalence of osteoporosisin menopausal patients in our study was 15%. Among premenopausal women, the crude prevalence of osteoporosiswas higher in the urban areas compared with the rural areas. By contrast, in postmenopausal women osteoprosis was more in rural women than urban. QUS for screening of osteoporosis is a cost effective method compared to the expensive DEXA(dual energy x ray absorptiometry). Keywords: Osteoporosis | quantitative ultrasound | menopause | rural, Introduction Osteoporosis is a growing health problem recognized in both developed and developing countries (1). Osteoporotic fractures, especially hip fractures, are related to considerable mortality and increasingly higher costs of [...] more...