An Assessment of Postmenopausal Women's Adherence to Calcium With Vitamin D Supplements

Introduction: No information is available on the long-term adherence to calcium with vitamin D in women in a general medical practice. Materials and Methods: We assessed in 412 postmenopausal women factors associated with adherence and reasons for nonadherence to supplemental calcium with vitamin D tablets after a counseling session. Results: Approximately 49% adherence was achieved in all of the sampled subjects during a 10-year period and 37% in subjects with intention-to-treat. Those followed for the entire 10 years had a 46% adherence. Forgetting to take supplements, perceiving supplements as unimportant, not recalling the counseling session, and gastrointestinal intoler