A 16-week tai chi programme prevented falls in healthy older adults
R G Cumming
Dr R G Cumming, Concord Hospital, Concord, New South Wales, Australia; bobc@health.usyd.edu.au
QUESTION
Does a 16-week, community-based tai chi programme reduce falls in healthy older adults?
METHODS
Design:
randomised controlled trial.
Allocation:
unclear.
Blinding:
unclear if blinded.
Follow-up period:
24 weeks.
Setting:
community in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Participants:
702 people ⩾60 years of age (mean age 69 y, 84% women) who lived in the community and had not practised tai chi in the previous year. Participants with degenerative neurological conditions, dementia, severely debilitating stroke, severe arthritis, marked vision impairment, or inability to walk across a room unaided were excluded.
Intervention:
a 16-week tai chi programme (n = 353) or a 24-week wait list (n = 349). The tai chi programme comprised weekly …
