Calcaneal quantitative ultrasonometry as a field-friendly tool for bone quality assessment in Italian postmenopausal women: Associations with body composition and menopausal duration

Federica De Luca; Federica Moro; Emanuela Gualdi-Russo; Stefania Toselli; Natascia Rinaldo; Luciana Zaccagni

doi:10.20330/AnthropKozl.2026.67s.18

Federica De Luca University of Ferrara, Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Ferrara, Italy
Federica Moro University of Bologna, Department for Life Quality Studies, Bologna, Italy
Emanuela Gualdi-Russo University of Ferrara, Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Ferrara, Italy
Stefania Toselli University of Bologna, Department for Life Quality Studies, Bologna, Italy
Natascia Rinaldo University of Bologna, Department for Life Quality Studies, Bologna, Italy
Luciana Zaccagni University of Ferrara, Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Ferrara, Italy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20330/AnthropKozl.2026.67s.18

Absztrakt

Background: In postmenopausal women, bone quality assessment is essential for identifying skeletal fragility risk. The calcaneal Bone Quality Index (BQI), assessed via quantitative ultrasound (QUS), represents a non-invasive, field-friendly alternative to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Objective: To investigate the associations between BQI, body composition, menopausal duration and functional variables in Italian postmenopausal women.

Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study design – in which all measurements were taken at a single point in time – was conducted on 138 Italian postmenopausal women (mean age: 61.1±5.3 years; mean years since menopause (YSM): 10.5±6.1 years). BQI was assessed using calcaneal QUS (SONOST 3000). Body composition was assessed through bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA 101, Akern), providing fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM) and fat percentage (%F). Handgrip strength (HGS) was measured bilaterally using a dynamometer. Pearson correlations and two multiple linear regression models were performed using BQI as the dependent variable: a background model (age, YSM, BMI) and a body composition model (%F, FFM, HGS). A simple linear regression with YSM alone was also conducted.

Results: BQI showed significant negative correlations with age (r=−0.30, p=0.0003) and YSM (r=−0.34, p<0.0001), and positive correlations with BMI, FFM and FM (r=0.18 for all, p=0.033). No significant correlations emerged for %F and HGS. The body composition model was not statistically significant (F=1.864, R²=0.040, p=0.139), whereas the background model was statistically significant (F=7.133, R²=0.138, p=0.0002), with YSM as the strongest predictor (p<0.0001). In simple linear regression, YSM alone explained 12% of BQI variance (R²=0.120, p<0.0001).

Conclusions: Menopausal duration is the primary determinant of calcaneal bone quality in postmenopausal women, independent of body composition. These findings support the use of calcaneal QUS as a field-friendly pre-screening tool for bone quality monitoring in non-clinical and large-scale epidemiological settings.

Hivatkozások

References: None.