How should the nurse respond to the client’s belief that playing sports in youth could harm bones?

• A. Excessive wear and tear during growth years can weaken your bones as an adult.
• B. Participating in sports activities often helps the bones become stronger and denser.
• C. Brittle bones are primarily inherited and are not often affected by your level of activity.
• D. Being active in sports only increases the risk for osteoporosis if your bones break a lot.

Answer: (B)

Regular weight-bearing activity during youth stimulates bone remodeling in response to mechanical load. When bones are regularly stressed by sports, osteoblasts lay down more bone tissue, increasing density and strength. Because peak bone mass is reached in adolescence, consistent participation in sports tends to produce stronger bones that resist osteoporosis later in life. So the nurse should reassure the client that engaging in sports is generally beneficial for bone health and explain how activity builds stronger bones, while also emphasizing safety—proper technique, gradual progression, rest, and protective measures to prevent injuries. The other statements mischaracterize how bone adapts to activity or the role of genetics; bones don’t become weaker from activity in the normal sense, brittleness isn’t solely inherited without regard to activity, and being active reduces osteoporosis risk rather than only increasing it if fractures occur.