Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Sep 1:11:1236050.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1236050. eCollection 2023.

Tai Chi for fall prevention and balance improvement in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Weidong Chen  1   2 , Min Li  3 , Hai Li  2 , Yanzhao Lin  2 , Zhoushan Feng  4   5
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Tai Chi for fall prevention and balance improvement in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Weidong Chen et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Background and objective: As the population ages, the health of older adults is becoming a public health concern. Falls are a significant threat to their health due to weakened balance. This study aims to investigate the beneficial effects of Tai Chi on fall prevention and balance improvement in older adults.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials related to Tai Chi, falls, and balance ability, searching PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases from their establishment until December 31, 2022. Two independent reviewers performed the search, screening of results, extraction of relevant data, and assessment of study quality. This study followed the PRISMA guidelines for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Results: Totally 24 RCTs were included for meta-analysis, and the results showed that Tai Chi can effectively reduce the risk of falls in older adults (RR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.71 to 0.82) and decrease the number of falls (MD [95% CI]: -0.26 [-0.39, -0.13]). Tai Chi can also improve the balance ability of older adults, such as the timed up and go test (MD [95% CI]: -0.69 [-1.09, -0.29]) and the functional reach test (MD [95% CI]: 2.69 [1.14, 4.24]), as well as other balance tests such as single-leg balance test, Berg balance scale, and gait speed (p < 0.05). Subgroup analysis showed that Tai Chi is effective for both healthy older adults and those at high risk of falls (p < 0.001), and its effectiveness increases with the duration and frequency of exercise. In addition, the effect of Yang-style Tai Chi is better than that of Sun-style Tai Chi.

Conclusion: Tai Chi is an effective exercise for preventing falls and improving balance ability in older adults, whether they are healthy or at high risk of falling. The effectiveness of Tai Chi increases with exercise time and frequency. Yang-style Tai Chi is more effective than Sun-style Tai Chi.

Systematic review registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier CRD42022354594.

Keywords: Tai Chi; balance; fall; meta-analysis; older adults.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA study selection flowchart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Risk of bias graph.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plot comparing Tai Chi with control group. (A) Number of fallers. (B) Rate of falls. CI, confidence interval; RR, risk ratio.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot comparison of balance ability between Tai Chi group and control group. (A) TUG. (B) FRT. CI, confidence interval; MD, mean difference; TUG, timed up and go; FRT, functional reach test.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Publication bias. (A) Number of fallers. (B) TUG. CI, confidence interval; RR, risk ratio; TUG, timed up and go.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Beard JR, Officer A, de Carvalho IA, Sadana R, Pot AM, Michel JP, et al. . The world report on ageing and health: a policy framework for healthy ageing. Lancet. (2016) 387:2145–54. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00516-4, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chen Y, Yang C, Li N, Wang Z, Wu P, Du J, et al. . Effects of population aging on the mortality burden of related cancers in urban and rural areas of China, 2004-2017: a population-based study. Cancer Biol Med. (2022) 19:696–706. doi: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2021.0538, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Delbaere K, Close JC, Brodaty H, Sachdev P, Lord SR. Determinants of disparities between perceived and physiological risk of falling among elderly people: cohort study. BMJ. (2010) 341:c4165. doi: 10.1136/bmj. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gillespie LD, Robertson MC, Gillespie WJ, Sherrington C, Gates S, Clemson LM, et al. . Interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. (2012) 2021:CD007146. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007146.pub3, PMID: - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rubenstein LZ. Falls in older people: epidemiology, risk factors and strategies for prevention. Age Ageing. (2006) 35:ii37–41. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afl084 - DOI - PubMed

MeSH terms