The effect of socioeconomic status on bone density in a male caucasian population

We have examined the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on bone density (BMD) in 201 males, aged 20–60 years. Males of lower SES (groups 4–6 vs. 1–3) from the total sample had significantly higher BMD (p< 0.05) at L2–4 and femoral neck. The difference was small but was not explained by differences in age, weight, calcium intake, family history, activity, or smoking. 45% of SES 4–6 males were involved in manual labor compared with 11 % of those in SES 1–3, however, this also did not appear to account for the difference.