Abstract
Background and aims: Decreased physical functioning and increased risk of fall are among the most common age-related problems among elderly people. This study aimed at assessing the effects of tai chi exercise on gait speed (GS) and fall rate among a group of elderly women in Iran. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2018. Participants were sixty elderly women purposefully selected from comprehensive healthcare centers in Lahijan, Iran, and randomly assigned to an intervention and a control group. Study intervention was Yang-style tai chi exercise implemented in two group sessions per week for twelve consecutive weeks. GS was assessed before and after the intervention using the short physical performance battery and fall rate was assessed using a researcher-made self-report fall assessment checklist. The SPSS program for Windows (v. 18.0) was employed for data analysis at a significance level of less than 0.05. Results: Between-group differences respecting the pretest and the posttest GS were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Moreover, posttest fall rate in the intervention group was less than the control group. Conclusion: Tai chi exercise is effective in increasing GS and reducing fall rate among elderly women and is recommended for elderly people.
Highlights
Aging is a natural biological process [1] and an undeniable part of life
Population aging is considered as a great healthcare achievement, it has turned into the main challenge of the 21th century and resulted in the increased need for healthcare and social services for maximizing elderly people’s functional capacity, social contribution, and safety [6]
One participant from the intervention group voluntarily withdrew from the study and the study was completed with 29 participants in the intervention group and thirty participants in the control group
Summary
Aging is a natural biological process [1] and an undeniable part of life. Advances in healthcare sciences have resulted in improved life expectancy and elderly population growth, and have increased the number of elderly people who need healthcare services [2,3]. Population aging is considered as a great healthcare achievement, it has turned into the main challenge of the 21th century and resulted in the increased need for healthcare and social services for maximizing elderly people’s functional capacity, social contribution, and safety [6]. Aging considerably affects walking ability, so that after the seventh decade of life, gait speed (GS) reduces by 12%– 16% and risk of fall increases due to reduced muscular strength and problems in balance [14]. This study aimed at assessing the effects of tai chi exercise on gait speed (GS) and fall rate among a group of elderly women in Iran. Conclusion: Tai chi exercise is effective in increasing GS and reducing fall rate among elderly women and is recommended for elderly people.
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