A Higher Dose of Vitamin D Reduces the Risk of Falls in Nursing Home Residents: A Randomized, Multiple-Dose Study

doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01048.x

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Wiley InterScience

Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Volume 55 Issue 2, Pages 234 - 239

Published Online: 8 Jan 2007

Journal compilation 2010 The American Geriatrics Society/Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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BRIEF REPORTS

A Higher Dose of Vitamin D Reduces the Risk of Falls in Nursing Home Residents: A Randomized, Multiple-Dose Study

Kerry E. Broe, MPH ^* , Tai C. Chen, PhD ^† , Janice Weinberg, ScD ^‡ , Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, MD, MPH ^§∥ , Michael F. Holick, MD, PhD ^† , and Douglas P. Kiel, MD, MPH ^*¶

From the ^*Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, Massachusetts; ^†Vitamin D Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; ^‡Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; ^§Department of Rheumatology and Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, ^∥Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; and ^¶Division on Aging, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

Address correspondence to Kerry E. Broe, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, 1200 Center Street, Roslindale, MA 02131. E-mail: broe@hrca.harvard.edu

KEYWORDS

vitamin D • falls • nursing home • randomized clinical trial

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of four vitamin D supplement doses on falls risk in elderly nursing home residents.

DESIGN: Secondary data analysis of a previously conducted randomized clinical trial.

SETTING: Seven hundred twenty-five-bed long-term care facility.

PARTICIPANTS: One hundred twenty-four nursing home residents (average age 89).

INTERVENTION: Participants were randomly assigned to receive one of four vitamin D supplement doses (200 IU, 400 IU, 600 IU, or 800 IU) or placebo daily for 5 months.

MEASUREMENTS: Number of fallers and number of falls assessed using facility incident tracking database.

RESULTS: Over the 5-month study period, the proportion of participants with falls was 44% in the placebo group (11/25), 58% (15/26) in the 200 IU group, 60% (15/25) in the 400 IU group, 60% (15/25) in the 600 IU group, and 20% (5/23) in the 800 IU group. Participants in the 800 IU group had a 72% lower adjusted-incidence rate ratio of falls than those taking placebo over the 5 months (rate ratio=0.28; 95% confidence interval=0.11–0.75). No significant differences were observed for the adjusted fall rates compared to placebo in any of the other supplement groups.

CONCLUSION: Nursing home residents in the highest vitamin D group (800 IU) had a lower number of fallers and a lower incidence rate of falls over 5 months than those taking lower doses. Adequate vitamin D supplementation in elderly nursing home residents could reduce the number of falls experienced by this high falls risk group.

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)

10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01048.x About DOI