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OST (Osteoporosis Screening Tool)
OST is derived from OSTA but recalibrated for Caucasian postmenopausal women. The score is simply: Weight (kg) - Age (years).
Patient Parameters
Guidelines & Evidence
Clinical Details
Section 1
When to Use
When to Use
Screening Caucasian postmenopausal women to determine the need for Bone Mineral Density (BMD) testing.
Identifying high-risk candidates for osteoporosis.
A simplified alternative to the MORE or SCORE tools in primary care.
Simplified Assessment
The OST is a direct adaptation of the OSTA index, stripped of the 0.2 multiplier, making it exceptionally easy to calculate mentally: Weight (kg) - Age (years).
Section 2
Formula & Logic
Scoring
OST Score = Weight in kg - Age in years
(If using pounds, convert to kg first: lbs ÷ 2.2)
Score > 5: Low Risk.
Score 0 to 5: Medium Risk.
Score < 0: High Risk.
Validation Target
T-Score ≤ -2.5
The tool is calibrated to detect a T-score of -2.5 or worse at the femoral neck.
Section 3
Pearls/Pitfalls
The Magic Zero
A negative score (Age > Weight in kg) is an immediate red flag. For example, a 70-year-old woman weighing 65 kg (Score = -5) is at high risk and warrants an immediate DXA scan.
Section 4
Next Steps
Management
Section 5
Evidence Appraisal
Primary Reference
Development and validation of the Osteoporosis Risk Assessment Instrument to facilitate selection of women for bone densitometry.
Cadarette SM et al. • CMAJ.. 2000;162(9):1289-94. Validated the Weight - Age paradigm in North American Caucasian cohorts.
Section 6
Origins
Trans-Pacific Validation
Originally derived from the OSTA tool, researchers in North America stripped away the mathematical scaling factor (0.2) and recalibrated the cutoffs to make the tool seamlessly usable by primary care physicians without a calculator.
