Fewer people are fracturing their hips in the United States and other high-income countries than three decades ago, and the reason has more to do with improved lifestyles, especially reduced smoking and less heavy drinking, than with new drug treatments, according to a study published this week in the JAMA Internal Medicine . “Promoting a healthy lifestyle over the past 30 years is a key reason that we are seeing less hip fractures each year,” said Dr. Timothy Bhattacharyya , the study’s senior author and a researcher at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), in an interview with Healio.com reporter Erin Michael. The study also underscores the message that “reducing smoking and heavy drinking, especially among young people, improves their bone health and lowers the risk of a disabling hip fracture,” he added. The chances of breaking a hip increase as you age. In the United States, about 300,000 people aged 65 and older are hospitalized f...