REVIEW article
Front. Aging
Sec. Healthy Longevity
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Role of Physical Activity in Healthy Aging: Mechanisms and InterventionsView all 22 articles
Effects of Tai Chi on Balance and Fall Prevention in Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
- 2Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
- 3Ludong University, Yantai, China
- 4Pingxiang University, Pingxiang, China
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Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Tai Chi on balance and fall risk in healthy older adults through a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across international and Chinese databases to identify relevant studies published between 2004 and 2024. A total of 21 RCTs were included in the analysis, comparing Tai Chi with non-exercise control groups. Various balance measures, such as balance performance and fall risk, were assessed. Results: The meta-analysis revealed that Tai Chi significantly improved balance and reduced fall risk among older adults. Specifically, improvements were observed in several key measures, including balance ability, walking speed, and confidence in preventing falls. Conclusion: These findings suggest that Tai Chi is an effective intervention for enhancing balance and reducing fall risk in healthy older adults, highlighting its potential as a valuable preventive strategy for falls in the aging population. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/ ,identifier CRD420251004905.
Keywords: Tai Chi, balance, Fall prevention, healthy older adults, Meta-analysis
Received: 30 May 2025; Accepted: 17 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Dong, Hamzah, Awang, Qiu and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Mohd Sahandri Gani Bin Hamzah, 2418043185@qq.com
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