Effects of Tai Chi exercise on people of middle/senior age with sub-health condition: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Sub-health condition has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a state between health and disease, and has been recognized as a health risk for people who work in an office. The positive physical and psychosocial effect of tai chi has been scientifically demonstrated on the general population. Individuals who practice tai chi find that it offers a variety of benefits. As well, individuals with sub-health and disabling conditions who practice tai chi regularly have experienced dramatic changes in their lives. The purposes of this study was to use systematic review methods, search tai chi-related studies from electronic database, including PubMed, Medline and CNKI, to identify, select, and critically appraise the benefits of tai chi exercise on people of middle/senior age with sub-health conditions. A meta-analysis has also been used to summarize the results of the focus studies. As a result, seven articles from a total of 635 studies were selected for analysis based on the predetermined selecting criteria and protocol, and 913 participants were included into the present study. The JADAD average score from the data analysis was 4.43, the physical health of effect size was 0.49, and the psychological effect size was 0.57. The study concludes that tai chi is an effective rehabilitation exercise, and practicing tai chi for more than 12 weeks can significantly promote sub-health conditions of middle/senior aged people. Copyright © 2014 Asian Journal of Exercise & Sports Science.