Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41819587›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2026

Tai Chi interventions for older adults living in aged care homes in Sri Lanka: a study protocol for a single-arm pretest-posttest feasibility study.

Sarath Rathnayake, Indrajith Liyanage, Jeewanthika Ekanayaka, Esther Liyanage

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Sarath RathnayakeCentre for Digital Innovations in Health and Social Care, Institute of Health and Social Care, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK u.w.s.rathnayake@bradford.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2379-1610
Indrajith LiyanageDepartment of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
Jeewanthika EkanayakaDepartment of Nursing, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
Esther LiyanageDepartment of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe institutionalisation of older adults has become increasingly common in Sri Lanka due to recent socioeconomic changes. Tai Chi is a traditional Chinese martial art that provides numerous physical and psychological health benefits. Despite its proven effectiveness, Tai Chi is a relatively new intervention in Sri Lanka, with no local research on its feasibility and efficacy among older adults. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of Tai Chi on physical function and fall risk, lung function, depression, pain and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in older adults residing in aged care homes in Sri Lanka. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A single-arm pretest-posttest feasibility study will be conducted among older adults aged 60 and over (n=40) living in aged care homes in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. A certified Tai Chi instructor will deliver two 60 min sessions of the Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention programme per week over a 12-week period in aged care home settings. Acceptability, demand, implementation, practicality, adaptation, integration, expansion and study limitations will be assessed to determine feasibility. Baseline and post-12-week Tai Chi programme outcomes will be assessed, focusing on physical function and fall risk, lung function, pain, depression and HRQOL. Additionally, field notes will be taken during the intervention, and a post-intervention follow-up group discussion will be conducted. Paired t-tests will be used to assess the effectiveness of the Tai Chi programme. A narrative synthesis will be used to analyse qualitative data. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, approved this study (No.: 2024/EC/34). Written informed consent will be obtained from each participant before data collection. The findings will be presented at national and international research conferences and published in a reputed journal. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This study was registered with the Sri Lanka Trial Registration (SLCTR/2025/025) at https://slctr.lk/trials/slctr-2025-025 (date: 26 June 2025).

Indexed as

Accidental FallsHomes for the AgedTai JiAgedAged, 80 and overDepressionFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNursing Home ResidentsNursing HomesQuality of LifeResearch DesignSri LankaAgedFeasibility StudiesHealth Services for the AgedNursing HomesPsychosocial InterventionQuality of Life

Identifiers

PMID41819587
PMCPMC12983677

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.