The comparison between effects of Taichi and conventional exercise on functional mobility and balance in healthy older adults: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Journal Article · 17 December 2023 · Frontiers in Public Health

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1281144 · OSTI ID:2242553

Li, Yiting; Liu, Meng; Zhou, Kaixiang; Dong, Gengxin; Manor, Brad; Bao, Dapeng; Zhou, Junhong

Background Taichi is beneficial for functional mobility and balance in older adults. However, such benefits of Taichi when comparing to conventional exercise (CE) are not well understood due to large variance in study protocols and observations. Methods We reviewed publications in five databases. Eligible studies that examined the effects of Taichi on the outcomes of functional mobility and balance in healthy older adults as compared to CE were included. Subgroup analyses compared the effects of different types of CE (e.g., single and multiple-type exercise) and different intervention designs (e.g., Taichi types) on those outcomes (Registration number: CRD42022331956). Results Twelve studies consisting of 2,901 participants were included. Generally, compared to CE, Taichi induced greater improvements in the performance of Timed-Up-and-Go (SMD = −0.18, [−0.33 to −0.03], p  = 0.040, I ² = 59.57%), 50-foot walking (MD = −1.84 s, [−2.62 to −1.07], p  < 0.001, I ² = 0%), one-leg stance with eyes open (MD = 6.00s, [2.97 to 9.02], p  < 0.001, I ² = 83.19%), one-leg stance with eyes closed (MD = 1.65 s, [1.35 to 1.96], p  < 0.001, I ² = 36.2%), and functional reach (SMD = 0.7, [0.32 to 1.08], p  < 0.001, I ² = 86.79%) tests. Subgroup analyses revealed that Taichi with relatively short duration (<20 weeks), low total time (≤24 h), and/or using Yang-style, can induce significantly greater benefits for functional mobility and balance as compared to CE. Uniquely, Taichi only induced significantly greater improvements in Timed-Up-and-Go compared to single- (SMD = −0.40, [−0.55 to −0.24], p  < 0.001, I ² = 6.14%), but not multiple-type exercise. A significant difference between the effects of Taichi was observed on the performance of one-leg stance with eyes open when compared to CE without balance (MD = 3.63 s, [1.02 to 6.24], p  = 0.006, I ² = 74.93%) and CE with balance (MD = 13.90s, [10.32 to 17.48], p  < 0.001, I ² = 6.1%). No other significant difference was shown between the influences of different CE types on the observations. Conclusion Taichi can induce greater improvement in functional mobility and balance in older adults compared to CE in a more efficient fashion, especially compared to single-type CE. Future studies with more rigorous design are needed to confirm the observations here.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Electricity (OE), Advanced Grid Research & Development. Power Systems Engineering Research
• OSTI ID: 2242553
• Journal Information: Frontiers in Public Health, Journal Name: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 11; ISSN 2296-2565
• Publisher: Frontiers Media SACopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: Switzerland
• Language: English