Evidence mapPaperPMID 42465647Full record

ReviewFrontiers in public health2026

Evidence map of Tai Chi interventions for older adults.

Lissandra Zanovelo Fogaça, Mariana Cabral Schveitzer, Arthur Ferreira, Andreia do Carmo Feitosa, Michael Pratt, Caio Fábio Schlechta Portella, Ricardo Ghelman, Luiz Roberto Ramos

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in public health, 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

8 authors.

Lissandra Zanovelo FogaçaDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Mariana Cabral SchveitzerDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Arthur FerreiraUniversity Center of Jales-UNIJALES, Jales, Brazil.
Andreia do Carmo FeitosaDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Michael PrattUniversity of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States.
Caio Fábio Schlechta PortellaBrazilian Academic Consortium for Integrative Health-CABSIN, São Paulo, Brazil.
Ricardo GhelmanBrazilian Academic Consortium for Integrative Health-CABSIN, São Paulo, Brazil.
Luiz Roberto RamosDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Paulista School of Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The population aged 60 and over is growing rapidly worldwide, reflecting rising life expectancy and health challenges. Tai Chi is a Chinese mind-body practice and has been recommended for older adults. Evidence maps organize and synthesize information about evidence in a specific field or topic, highlighting consensus and knowledge gaps. This evidence map aims to identify the effects of Tai Chi on health outcomes in older adults. This map used The Campbell Collaboration's methodology. The search was conducted in five databases: PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, and Web of Science. The Brazilian Academic Consortium for Integrative Health data of Traditional Chinese Medicine mind-body practices was utilized to manually include studies. The AMSTAR 2 was used to assess quality assessment, and the Tableau was used to graphically present the results. Based on 7.862 systematic reviews, we included 118 of Tai Chi for older adults. The quality assessment was 36 high, 07 moderate, 42 low, and 33 critically low. Each of the 238 effects was classified: 171 as positive, 47 as potentially positive, 13 no effects, and 07 as inconclusive. High-quality evidence that positive effects were related to balance, depression, anxiety, cognitive performance, risk of fall, quality of life, well-being, sleep quality, and Parkinson's disease. Inconclusive or no effect was related to concentration, agility, muscle mass, HDL cholesterol, stroke, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. The most widely used Tai Chi style was the Yang style, for two to three times per week, with each session lasting 30 to 60 min for 12 to 24 weeks. Most interventions targeted community-dwelling older adults with a mean age of 69.5 years; among these, 42 reviews reported a female majority. Based on 56 associations, Tai Chi has been applied in different areas of older adult health. The effect of tai chi may depend on the style, frequency, time, and duration. Despite all results, the evidence suggests methodological rigor, homogeneous populations with larger samples. The Tai Chi effectiveness evidence map will serve to inform decision-making on healthcare for older adults, considering the Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021-2030 and the Global Strategy for Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine 2025-2034.

Indexed as

Tai JiAgedFemaleHumansMiddle AgedQuality of Lifecomplementary therapiesevidence mapolder adultspublic healthTai Chi

Identifiers

PMID42465647
PMCPMC13372770

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.