Baduanjin Exercise for Adults Aged 65 Years and Older: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies

Author: Cindy Jones1,2, Meiling Qi3, Zihui Xie3, Wendy Moyle2,4, Benjamin Weeks2,5, Ping Li3
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, 203555Bond University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. <sup>2</sup> Menzies Health Institute Queensland, 205723Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. <sup>3</sup> School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, 12589Shandong University, Jinan, China. <sup>4</sup> School of Nursing and Midwifery, 16741Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia. <sup>5</sup> School of Allied Health Sciences, 16741Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
Conference/Journal: J Appl Gerontol
Date published: 2021 Dec 24
Other: Special Notes: doi: 10.1177/07334648211059324. , Word Count: 153


This study performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the health effects of Baduanjin exercise on adults aged 65 years and older. Chinese and English databases were electronically searched using search terms related to the PICO model from inception through June 2021. The study quality assessment and meta-analysis were conducted using the PEDro scale and RevMan 5.4 software. Eleven included Chinese studies, published between 2015 and 2021, recruited participants from the mainland of China. The aggregated results showed significant benefits of Baduanjin on physical function, walking ability, balance, and anxiety. A long-term Baduanjin intervention could also improve quality of life and reduce falls and pain. Baduanjin appears to have the potential to improve the health of older adults, but conclusions are limited due to the lack of rigorous and robust studies within and outside of mainland China. Larger, well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm these findings.

Keywords: Baduanjin; health promotion; meta-analysis; older adults; systematic review.

PMID: 34949144 DOI: 10.1177/07334648211059324