%0 Journal Article
%T Study protocol for prevention of falls: A randomized controlled trial of effects of vitamin D and exercise on falls prevention
%A Kirsti Uusi-Rasi
%A Pekka Kannus
%A Saija Karinkanta
%A Matti Pasanen
%A Radhika Patil
%A Christel Lamberg-Allardt
%A Harri Siev£¿nen
%J BMC Geriatrics
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2318-12-12
%X A 2-year randomized double-blind placebo-controlled vitamin D and open exercise trial of 409 home-dwelling women 70 to 80 years of age comprising four study arms: 1) exercise + vitamin D (800 IU/d), 2) exercise + placebo, 3) no exercise + vitamin D (800 IU/d), 4) no exercise + placebo. In addition to monthly fall diaries, general health status, life style, bone health, physical functioning, and vitamin D metabolism will be assessed. The primary outcomes are the rate of falls and fall-related injuries. Secondary outcomes include changes in neuromuscular functioning (e.g. body balance, muscle strength), ADL- and mobility functions, bone density and structure, cardiovascular risk factors, quality of life and fear of falling.The successful completion of this trial will provide evidence on the effectiveness of exercise and vitamin D for falls reduction.ClinicalTrial.gov -register (NCT00986466).The rising population of the elderly over the next few decades will be accompanied by an increase in the number of people with disease and chronic illness. Older people are less resistant to injury, whether from physiological events (e.g. heart attack) or environmental trauma (e.g. bone fracture), as well as to infection [1]. Health maintenance for aging people over their life span through exercise and proper nutrition contribute to lifelong wellbeing [2].Osteoporosis, with the main outcome problem of fractures, is a multifactorial disease characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) and decreased bone strength. Often these people also have neuromuscular deficiencies resulting in an increased risk of falling. Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury and injury-related death among older adults. Approximately 30% of community living people aged 65 years or older fall every year the rate being clearly higher in institutions. Although less than one fall out of 10 results in a fracture, 20% of fall incidents require admissions to hospital [3-5]. Since the propensity to fal
%K Exercise
%K Falls
%K Physical functioning
%K Vitamin D
%K Mobility function
%K Neuromuscular functioning
%K Quality of life
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2318/12/12