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. 2024 May 2;24:390. doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-05009-x

Table 1.

The essential characteristics of the included studies

Source Country Numbers Study Length Wome
n (%)
Age Treatment 25-OH-VD (nmol/L) Dwelling Fallers/total
Graafmans,1996 [25] The Netherlands 354 7 months 85% 83

E: 400 IU VD3/d

C: Placebo

ND In homes for elderly

E: 62/177

C: 65/177

Pfeifer,2000 [26] Germany 148 1 year 100% 74

E:800IU Cholecalciferol

+ 1200 mg elemental calcium

C: placebo + 1200 mg elemental calcium

E: 25.7(13.6)

C: 24.6(12.1)

Ambulatory

E: 11/74

C: 19/74

Chapuy,2002 [27] France 583 2 years 100% 85.2

E: 800IU Cholecalciferol + 1200 mg elemental calcium

C: Placebo

E: 21.8(14.9)

C: 22.7(17.2)

In apartment for elderly

E: 251/393

C: 118/190

Bischoff,2003 [28] Switzerland 122 12 weeks 100% 85.3

E:800IU Cholecalciferol

+ 1200 mg calcium carbonate

C: 1200 mg calcium carbonate

E: 30.7

C: 28.95

In long stay geriatric care

E: 14/62

C: 18/60

Trivedi,2003 [29] UK 2686 5 years 24.2% 74.8

E: 100 000IU Cholecalciferol every 4 months

C: Placebo

ND Community dwelling

E: 254/1345

C: 261/1341

Dhesi,2004 [30] UK 139 6 months 77.7% 76.8

E: 600000IU of ergocalciferol im once

C: Placebo

E: 26.7

C: 25

Community dwelling

E: 11/70

C: 14/69

Harwood,2004 [31] UK 150 1 year 100% 81.2

E1: 800IU Cholicalciferol + 1 g calcium

E2: 300000IU VD2 im once + 1 g elemental calcium

E3: 300000IU VD2 im once

C: No treatment(no placebo)

E1: 29

E2: 30

E3: 28

C: 30

In rehabilitation wards

E1: 7/39

E2: 6/36

E3: 2/38

C: 13/37

Flicker,2005 [32] Australia 625 2 years 94.9% 83.4

E: ergocalciferol 10000IU once weekly and then 1000IU/d + 600 mg elemental calcium

C: 600 mg elemental calcium daily

E: 25–90

 C: 25–90

Nursing home + Hostel

E: 170/313

C: 185/312

Porthouse,2005 [33] UK 3314 12 months 100% 76.8

E: VD3 800 IU + 1000 mg calcium (calcium carbonate)

C: control

ND Community dwelling

E:329/1321a

C:561/1993a

Bischoff-Ferrari,2006 [34] USA 445 3 years 55.3% 70.8

E: 700 IU Cholecalciferol + 500 mg calcium citrate malate

C: Placebo

E: 75(35)

C: 72(33)

Community dwelling

E: 107/219

C: 124/226

Law,2006 [35] UK 3717 10 months 76% 85

E: 2.5 mg (= 1100 IU/d) ergocalciferol every 3 months

C: No treatment(no placebo)

E: 47

C: ND

In residential care homes

E: 770/1762

C: 833/1955

Smith,2007 [36] UK 9440 3 years 53.9% 79.1

E: 300000IU intramuscular VD2/year

C: Placebo

141(59.2) Community dwelling

E:2544/4727

C:2577/4713

Broe,2007 [37] USA 124 5 months 72.6% 89

E1: 200 IU VD2/d

E2: 400 IU VD2/d

E3: 600 IU VD2/d

E4: 800 IU VD2/d

C: Placebo

E1: 44.4(23)

E2: 51.7(29)

E3: 41.2(19)

E4: 53.4(23)

C: 52.9(28)

Nursing home residents

E1: 15/26

E2: 15/25

E3: 15/25

E4: 5/23

C: 11/25

Prince,2008 [38] Australia 302 1 year 100% 77.2

E: 1000IU Ergocalciferol + 1000 mg/d calcium citrate

C: Placebo + 1000 mg calcium citrate

E: 45.2(12.5)

C: 44.2(12.7)

Community dwelling

E: 80/151

C: 95/151

Pfeifer,2009 [39]

Germany

Austria

242 20 months 74.8% 77

E: 800IU cholecalciferol + 1000 mg elemental calcium

C: Placebo + 1000 mg elemental calcium

E: 55(18)

C: 54(18)

Community dwelling

E: 49/121

C: 75/121

Kärkkäinen,2010 [40] Finland

3139

(593 subsample participants)

3 years 100% 67.4

E: 800 IU cholecalciferol + 1,000 mg calcium carbonate

C: control without placebo

E: 50.1(18.8)

C: 49.2(17.7)

Community dwelling

E: 179/287

C: 205/306

Sanders,2010 [41] Australia 2256 3–5 years 100% 76.1

E: A single oral dose of 500,000 IU cholecalciferol in autumn or winter

C: Placebo

E: 53

C: 45

Community dwelling

E: 837/1311

C: 769/1125

Witham,2010 [42] UK 105 20 weeks 34.3% 79.7

E: 100000IU D2 oral at baseline and 10w

C: Placebo

E: 20.5(8.9)

C: 23.7(10)

Primary and secondary care

E: 2/53

C: 5/52

Glendenning,2012 [43] Australia 686 9 months 100% 76.7

E: 150,000 IU oral cholecalciferol every 3 months + 1300 mg calcium/d

C: Placebo + 1300 mg calcium/d

E: 65.0 (17.8)

C: 66.5(27.1)

Community dwelling

E: 102/353

C: 89/333

Witham,2013 [44] UK 159 12 months 48.4% 76.8

E: 100,000 IU oral cholecalciferol every 3 months

C: Placebo

E: 44.9(15)

C: 44.9(15)

Community dwelling

E: 25/80

C: 26/79

Wood,2014 [45] UK 305 1 year 100% 63.8

E1: 400IU VD3

E2: 1000IU VD3

C: Placebo

33.8 Community dwelling

E1: 33/102

E2: 27/101

C: 31/102

Houston,2015 [46] USA 68 5 months 72.1% 77.9

E: two VD3 50,000 IU capsules /month;

C: Placebo

E: 56.2 (30.5)

C: 47.2 (26.5)

Community dwelling

E: 11/38

C: 12/30

Hansen,2015 [47] USA 230 12 months 100% 61

E1: 800 IU VD3 daily

E2: loading dose (50,000 IU daily for 15 days), then twice monthly 50,000 IU VD3

C: Placebo

52.4(7.5) Community dwelling

E1: 24/75

E2: 22/79

C: 23/76

Uusi-Rasi,2015 [48] Finland 409 2 years 100% 74.2

E: 800IU VD3 without exercise

C: Placebo without exercise

E: 65.9(17.2)

C: 67.6(18.7)

Home dwelling

E: 66/102

C: 75/102

Cangussu,2016 [49] Brazil 160 9 months 100% 59

E: 1000IU VD3

C: Placebo

E: 37.4(18.7)

C: 42.2(16.7)

Ambulatory

E: 19/80

C: 37/80

Imaoka,2016 [50] Japan 91 9 months 75.8% 84.8

E: 900IU VD3

C: no treatment

E: 35.2(13.2)

C: 28.2(11)

Institutional care facility

E: 6/23

C: 9/23

Jin,2016 [51] Australia 413 24 month 50.4% 63.2

E: oral 50000IU VD3 monthly

C: Placebo

E: 43.7(11.8)

C: 43.8(12.7)

Community dwelling

E: 2/209

C:0/204

Bischoff-Ferrari,2016 [52] Switzerland 200 12 months 67% 78

E: 60000IU VD3/month

C: 24000IU VD3/month

E: 52.2(23)

C: 46.7(24.5)

Community dwelling

E: 45/67

C: 32/67

Levis,2017 [53] USA 130 9 months 0% 72.4

E: 4,000 IU cholecalciferol daily

C: Placebo

E: 57.7(12.5)

C: 56.2(13.2)

Ambulatory

E: 8/66

C: 11/64

Hin,2017 [54] UK 305 1 year 49.2% 71.6

E1: 2000IU VD3/d

E2: 4000IU VD3/d

C: Placebo

50(18) Community dwelling

E: 34/204

C: 14/101

Khaw,2017 [55] New Zealand 5108 3.4 years 41.8% 65.9

E: An initial oral dose of 200 000 IU colecalciferol followed by monthly 100 000 IU colecalciferol

C: Placebo

63(24) Ambulatory

E: 1312/2558

C: 1326/2550

Asprey,2019 [56] England 379 12 months 48% 75

E1: 24000IU VD3/month

E2: 48000IU VD 3/month

C: 12000IU VD3/month

E1: 39.5(20.6)

E2: 38.9(19.7)

C: 41.6(19.9)

Community dwelling

E1: 43/125

E2: 50/128

C: 48/126

Prithiani,2021 [57] Pakistan 400 24 months 52.8% 61.5

E: 100,000 IU VD3 oral monthly

C: Placebo

E: 56(14.5)

C: 58 (14)

In hospital

E: 42/170

C: 43/173

Waterhouse,2021 [58] Australia

21,315

(2200 diary participants)

5 years 46% 69.3

E: oral 60,000 D3 monthly

C: Placebo

ND ND

E: 159/1109

C: 153/1091

Appel,2021 [59] USA 688 22 months 43.6% 77.2

E1: 1000IU VD3/d

E2: 2000IU VD3/d

E3: 4000IU VD3/d

C: 200IU VD3/d

55.3 Community dwelling

E1: 43/121

E2: 41/68

E3: 41/69

C: 123/256

Note ND, no data; Data are expressed as mean(SD), mean or n (%). E, Experimental group; C, Control group; a, data obtained from previous meta-analysis