Vitamin D and Exercise in Falls Prevention

Summary

The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of exercise and vitamin D supplementation on reducing falls and injuries in community-dwelling, independent-living women aged 70-79 years of age. The investigators will test the following hypothesis:

1. Exercise including strength, balance and mobility training will improve muscle functioning and body balance, and thus reduce falls by 30% compared with non-exercisers.
2. Vitamin D intake will improve muscle functioning and thus prevent falls by 30% compared with placebo.
3. Together vitamin D and exercise have a stronger influence on fall prevention than either used alone.
4. Training improves mobility functions and bone health.
5. Supervised training twice a week with daily home training will improve physical functioning thus resulting in reduced fear of falling.
6. Reduced fear of falling and improved physical functioning help older people to stay physically active, which further improve their quality of life.

Conditions

• Falls Prevention
• Prevention of Fall-related Injuries

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

exercise and vitamin D supplementation

20 µg (800 IU) of vitamin D per day for two years supervised training two times a week for 12 months, and once a week during the next 12 months

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

exercise and vitamin D supplementation

placebo per day for two years supervised training two times a week for 12 months, and once a week during the next 12 months

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

exercise and vitamin D supplementation

20 µg (800 IU) of vitamin D per day for two years no supervised training (maintenance of their current level of physical activity)

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

exercise and vitamin D supplementation

placebo per day for two years no supervised training (maintenance of their current level of physical activity)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Academy of Finland

  collaborator OTHER

• Tampere University Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Helsinki

  collaborator OTHER

• UKK Institute

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Kirsti Uusi-Rasi, PhD · UKK Institute for Health Promotion Research

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

70 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

FEMALE

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2009-09-30

Primary Completion

2013-04-30

Completion

2013-04-30

Countries

• Finland

Study Locations