The FREEDOM Study: a RCT of sunlight and calcium to reduce vitamin D deficiency in older people in residential care

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The proposed study emanates from a large ongoing epidemiological study on falls and fractures in the elderly (the FREE study). Falls and fractures are major problems in the elderly. This is the genesis for the FREEDOM (Falls Risk Epidemiology: Effect of vitamin D on skeletal Outcomes and other Measures) intervention study. The FREEDOM study will evaluate the effect of a public health strategy to reduce falls and fractures in older people living in residential care (namely appropriate sun light exposure and calcium supplementation) in a randomised trial. The primary endpoints of this study will be reduction in falls and change in vitamin D levels. Other endpoints will be change in motor function, mood, bone turnover and fracture incidence. The proposed public health strategy to be examined is readily transferable to routine practice and would have very good feasibility for easy implementation and are generally applicable to the residential care setting, where the study will be conducted. Moreover the proposed approach would be low in cost and does not depend on other health system input. Potentially large numbers of people would benefit from the better understanding of simple methods of securing improved vitamin D status.