3. Characteristics of studies in comparisons 1 to 4.

Comparison 1: Vitamin D [D2, D3 or 25(OH)D] versus control or placebo
Trial name in decreasing order of size	Number recruited	Setting	Previous fracture Y/N	Male or female?		Mean/median age
Smith 2007	9440	Multicentre general practice study in 111 sites, UK	N	Both (4354 women, 5086 men)		79
RECORD 2005	5292	Community‐based study, UK	Y	Both (4481 women, 811 men)		77
Law 2006	3717	Clusters of participants in 30 bedded units in care homes or entire care home if small, UK	N	Both (2825 women, 892 men)		85
Lyons 2007	3440	Residential homes (38%), nursing or dual‐registered home (55%), sheltered accommodation (7%), Wales	N	Both (2624 women, 816 men)		84
Trivedi 2003	2686	Community‐based study, UK	N	Both (2037 men and 649 women)		75
Lips 1996	2578	Community‐based study, The Netherlands	N	Both (1916 women and 662 men)		80
Vital D	2258	Community‐dwelling women in southern Victoria, Australia	Some	Women only		76
Meyer 2002	1144	Nursing homes, Norway	N	Both (868 women, 276 men)		85
Glendenning 2012	686	Community living (from general practice or electoral role), Perth, Australia	N	Women only		77
Peacock 2000	438	Community study, USA	N	Both (316 women, 122 men)		Mean age women 74 years, men 76 years
Witham 2013	159	Participants recruited from primary care, secondary care and the press, Scotland, UK	N	Both (82 men, 77 women)		77
Harwood 2004	150	Community‐based study, UK	Y	Women only		81
Avenell 2004	134	Community‐based study, UK	Y	Both (111 women, 23 men)		78
Witham 2010	105	Participants recruited from primary and secondary care, Scotland, UK	N	Both (69 men, 36 women)		80
Mitri 2011	92	Community recruitment, Boston, USA	N	Both (47 women, 45 men)		57
Comparison 2: Vitamin D [D2, D3 or 25(OH)D] and calcium versus calcium
Trial name in decreasing order of size	Number recruited	Setting	Previous fracture Y/N		Male or female?	Mean/median age
Garay Lillo 1997	6945	Community‐based study, Spain	N		Women only	Not available
RECORD 2005	5292	Community‐based study, UK	Y		Both (4481 women, 811 men)	77
Flicker 2005	693	60 assisted living facilities and 89 nursing homes, Australia	N		Both (594 women, 31 men)	83
Prince 2008	302	Community‐based study, Australia	N		Women only	77
Pfeifer 2009	242	Community‐based study, Austria and Germany	N		Both (181 women, 61 men)	77
Burleigh 2007	205	Acute geriatric unit, Glasgow, Scotland, UK	N		Both (121 women, 84 men)	83
Komulainen 1998	232	Community‐based study, Finland	N		Women only	53
Pfeifer 2000	148	Osteology clinic, Germany	N		Women only	75
Avenell 2004	134	Community‐based study, UK	Y		Both (111 women, 23 men)	78
Bischoff 2003	122	Two long‐stay geriatric care units, Switzerland	N		Women only	85
Janssen 2010	70	Outpatient clinic of the Department of Geriatric Medicine at the University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands	N		Women only	81
Comparison 3: Vitamin D [D2, D3 or 25(OH)D] versus calcium
Trial name in decreasing order of size	Number recruited	Setting	Previous fracture Y/N		Male or female?	Mean/median age
RECORD 2005	5292	Community‐based study, UK	Y		Both (4481 women, 811 men)	77
Peacock 2000	438	Community‐based study, USA	N		Both (316 women, 122 men)	Mean age women 74 years, men 76 years
Avenell 2004	134	Community‐based study, UK	Y		Both (111 women, 23 men)	78
Mitri 2011	92	Community‐based study, USA	N		Both (47 women, 45 men)	57
Comparison 4: Vitamin D [D2, D3 or 25(OH)D] and calcium versus control or placebo
Trial name in decreasing order of size	Number recruited	Setting	Previous fracture Y/N		Male or female?	Mean/median age
WHI 2006	36,282	Community based women, USA	N		Women only	62
RECORD 2005	5292	Community‐based study, UK	Y		Both (4481 women, 811 men)	77
OSTPRE‐FPS 2007	3195	Population‐based sample, recruited by post, northern Savonia, Finland	N		Women only	67
Porthouse 2005	3314	Multicentre general practice study, UK	Some		Women only	77
Chapuy 1992	3270	Residents of nursing homes or apartment houses for elderly people, France	N		Women only	84
Chapuy 2002	583	Residents of 55 apartment houses for elderly people, France	N		Women only	85
Dawson‐Hughes 1997	445	Community‐based study, USA	N		Both (199 men, 246 women	71
Harwood 2004	150	Community‐based study, UK	Y		Women only	81
Avenell 2004	134	Community‐based study, UK	Y		Both (111 women, 23 men)	78