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USE OF VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTS AND ITS ASSOCIATIONS AMONG OLDER SERVICE HOUSING RESIDENTS

S. Muurinen, H. Soini, M. Suominen, T. Vikstedt, H. Kautiainen, K. Pitkälä

J Aging Res Clin Practice 2013;2(1):86-90

Background: Vitamin D supplements are recommended for elderly persons. However the frequency of use has been low and the dose insufficient. Objectives: 1) To study the frequency of use of vitamin D supplements in 65+ residents of service houses; 2) to explore the dose of vitamin D among users; and 3) to clarify the factors associated with the use of supplements. Design, setting and participants: This cross-sectional study aimed to include all the service housing residents (N=2 214) in 69 service houses in Helsinki and Espoo in 2007. Residents in temporary respite care were excluded (5%). Of permanent residents, 70% (N=1475) were assessed. Measurements: Trained nurses in each service house performed a personal interview and assessment including the Mini Nutritional Assessment to assess the residents' nutritional, functional and health status, use of medications and use of vitamin D supplements. Medical records were used to confirm demographic and medical data. Results: Of the residents, 60.1% were users of vitamin D supplements. The proportion of users having a therapeutic dose (≥20 µg/day) was 23.9 %. In random effects logit model male gender (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.24-0.48) and prior hip fracture (OR 2.64, 95% CI 1.71-4.07) were independently associated with the use of vitamin D supplements. Conclusions: The use of vitamin D was less than optimal among 65+ service housing residents. However, when comparing with our previous assessment of nursing home population 2003, the proportion of the users has doubled.

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