Vol. 2009 No. 1 (2009)
Nutritional Supplementation Interventions and Health Outcomes in Elderly Nigerians: A Lagos Perspective,
Abstract
This study examines the impact of nutritional supplementation interventions on health outcomes in an elderly Nigerian population living in Lagos. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 300 elderly participants randomly assigned to receive a combination of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants versus placebo over one year. Participants in the nutritional supplementation group showed a statistically significant decline in fasting blood glucose levels by an average of 15% (95% CI: -20%, -10%) compared to the control group. This reduction was accompanied by improved lipid profiles and reduced incidence of hypertension, with trends towards lower all-cause mortality. The study confirms that targeted nutritional interventions can lead to clinically meaningful improvements in health outcomes among elderly Nigerians living in Lagos. Public health initiatives should prioritise the implementation of nutritional supplementation programmes for the elderly population in Lagos and similar urban settings, with further research into optimal nutrient combinations and dosages. elderly, nutrition, supplements, blood glucose, chronic disease Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.