The risk of hip fracture is higher among persons living in long-term c
are than among persons living at home. The aim of this study was to ex
plain the difference in risk between the two types of residence by ide
ntifying differences in the respective risk factor profiles. Informati
on from the Mediterranean osteoporosis (MEDOS) study questionnaire was
used for statistical analyses of 107 non-demented female cases and 22
5 neighbourhood controls matched for age, sex, and residential area. T
he statistical analyses incorporated adjustments of the risk estimates
by unconditional multivariate logistic regression. Urban background,
activity, and morbidity were found to differ between the two types of
residence. The detected differences in risk factor profiles were, howe
ver, not considered to be sufficient as an explanation for the differe
nce in risk of fracture.