The Effect of Exercise Intervention on Reducing the Fall Risk in Older Adults: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
PRISMA-guided meta-analysis of 10 RCTs (648 older adults) reports exercise interventions—including Tai Chi, balance, core, Pilates, and integrated training—associated with large pooled improvements on fall-risk related outcomes; authors analyse moderators of exercise type, duration, and frequency with high heterogeneity across trials.
Design
- Included: 10 RCTs, n = 648 older adults
- Modalities: integrated training, balance, core, Pilates, Ba Duan Jin, Tai Chi (mixed programme literature)
- Model: random-effects meta-analysis with moderator analyses (type, duration, frequency)
Headline (abstract language)
Authors describe a large, statistically significant pooled benefit of exercise on fall-risk metrics versus controls, with heterogeneity addressed via moderator models—read forest plots for exact SMD/MD estimates and I².
Evidence hygiene
Multi-modality pool—do not attribute the pooled effect solely to Tai Chi; pair with Tai-chi–specific network meta-analyses on this wiki for style-level claims.
Publication
Sun M, Min L, Xu N, et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Nov 29;18(23):12499. PMID 34886293.
Outcomes
- Ten RCTs (n = 648): exercise interventions (including Tai Chi, balance, core, Pilates, integrated programmes) showed a large statistically significant pooled benefit on fall-risk outcomes versus control with moderator analyses for type, duration, and frequency (Sun et al. 2021 abstract—inspect full-text effect sizes).