SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1586011
This article is part of the Research TopicStrategies for Combatting Age-Related Decline through Targeted Exercise ProgramsView all 3 articles
Effects of Baduanjin exercise on cognitive impairment in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Provisionally accepted
- 1College of Special Education, Beijing Union University, Beijing, China
- 2School of Humanities, Hubei University of Chinese Medicine, Wuhan, Hebei Province, China
- 3Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
- 4School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China
- 5Beijing Union University, Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
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Background: Cognitive impairment in older adults poses a growing burden on global healthcare systems, especially in resource-limited communities. Baduanjin exercise, a low-cost traditional Chinese mind-body exercise, demonstrates considerable potential for assisting older adults in managing cognitive impairment. However, there is no consensus regarding its efficacy. This metaanalysis aimed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of Baduanjin exercise in ameliorating cognitive impairment in older adults.Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published through January 30, 2025, were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Chinese databases (CSTJ, CNKI, Wanfang). Two reviewers independently conducted trial selection, assessed methodological quality using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, and extracted data in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Seven RCTs involving 539 community-dwelling older adults met the inclusion criteria.= 2.15; 95% CI, 1.53 to 2.76; P < 0.00001), memory (standardized mean difference = 0.59; 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.80; P < 0.00001), executive function (SMD = 0.26; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.44; P = 0.007), and physical health (MD = -0.86; 95% CI, -0.26 to -0.46; P < 0.00001). No included study reported adverse effects related to Baduanjin exercise.These findings indicate that Baduanjin exercise can effectively improve cognitive impairment in older adults. Nevertheless, further rigorously designed RCTs are required to confirm these findings.
Keywords: Baduanjin exercise, cognitive impairment, older adults, Systematic review, metaanalysis
Received: 04 Mar 2025; Accepted: 19 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gong, Wang, Yang, Liu, Zhang and Zhang. 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: Ayuan Zhang, Beijing Union University, Beijing, 100101, Beijing Municipality, China
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