Table 3 Characteristics of randomized controlled trials
From: Effects of Tai Chi exercises on self-efficacy and psychological health
| Study | Design | Level and grade of recommendation | Subjects | Sample size and age | Tai Chi style | Women | Dropout | Psychological measures | Statistical analysis | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown et al. [37] | RCT | 1+B | 163 | TCC, n = 18; moderate-intensity walking, n = 24; low-intensity walking, n = 34; control, n = 31; men 50, 6 ± 8 years of age, women 54, 8 ± 8, 3 years of age | NI, 16 weeks, three times 45 min/week | 69 | 28 (17, 2%) | POMS, STAI-Y, STAXI, PANAS, RSES, SPED, BCS, LSES, NEO-PI | ANOVA | Women benefit more from TC in mood disturbances, whereas men reported increased positive affect in the moderate-intensity walking group |
| Chou et al. [28] | RCT | 2+C | 14 | TCC, n = 7; control, n = 7, 72, 6 ± 4, 2 years of age | Yang style 18 movements, 12 weeks, three times 45 min/week | 7 | NI | CES-D, MMSE (inclusion) | ANOVA, MANOVA | Tai Chi was found to improve well-being and reduce negative effects |
| Jin [38] | RCT | 1+B | 96 | TCC, n = 24, brisk walking, n = 24; meditation, n = 24; reading, n = 24; 34, 6 ± 8,8 years of age for the men; 37, 8 ± 10, 1 years of age for the women | Varied styles (Yang, Wu), two sessions of 2 h, experienced Tai Chi practitioners | 48 | NI | POMS, STAI-Y-A, urinary catecholamine, saliva cortisol, heart frequency, blood pressure | ANOVA, MANOVA, MANCOVA | The Tai Chi was found to be as efficient as brisk walking to reduce mental and emotional stress |
| Kutner et al. [34] | RCT | 2++B | 200 Atlanta FICSIT trial | TCC, n = 72; balance, n = 64; wellness n = 64; 76, 2 years of age | Ten movements adapted from Yang style from Wolf [37], 15 weeks, 60 min/week | NI | 68 (34%) | Self-esteem, five scales of the SF36 | Odds ratio | The Tai Chi reported a reduction in the fear of falling and an improvement of well-being. Only the Tai Chi group showed a lifestyle change |
| Li et al. [3] | RCT | 1+B | 98 | TCC, n = 49, 72, 8 ± 4,7 years of age; control, n = 45, 72, 7 ± 5, 7 years of age | 24 Movements of Yang style, 26 weeks, twice 60 min/week | NI | 26 (26, 5%) | The Tai Chi exercises self-efficacy (MacAuley and Milhalko, 1998), a specific time performance scale, session compliance | Intention to treat, latent curve analysis, ANOVA | The Tai Chi group was found to improve performance self-efficacy and barriers self-efficacy to physical activity. The increase of self-efficacy was positively correlated with adhesion to exercises |
| Tsai et al. [29] | RCT | 2++B | 88 | TCC, n = 44, 50, 5 ± 9, 8 years of age; control, n = 44, 51, 6 ± 16, 3 years of age | Yang style, 12 weeks, three times 40 min/week | 38 | 12 (13, 6%) | Lipid profile, STAI-Y, blood pressure | Student test | Lower resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure, reduction in LDL cholesterol and anxiety |
| Wolf et al. [33, 35] | RCT, blind assessment | 1+B | 200 Atlanta FICSIT trial | TCC, n = 72; balance, n = 64; wellness n = 64; 76, 2 years of age | Ten movements adapted from Yang style from Wolf [33], 15 weeks, 60 min/week | 171 | 16% | CES-D, ADL, FOF, well-being and balance measures | ANOVA with Tukey correction, Cox hazard model | Psychological benefits for both Tai Chi and balance training in fear of falling and well-being. The Tai Chi group members were less afraid of falling |
| Zhang et al. [25] | RCT | 2++B | 49 | TCC, n = 25 and control, n = 24; 70, 2 ± 3, 6 years of age | 24 Movements from Yang style, 8 weeks, seven times 1 h/week | 24 | 2 | Interview, FES (Tinetti et al., 1990), OLS test, trunk flexion, 10 m walking speed | Ki2 and student test, ANOVA and repeated measure of variance. Power and sample size to detect a variation of 3.8 s at the one leg stance test | Tai Chi was found to reduce fear of falling, improve balance, and flexibility |