1 University at Albany, State University of New York, Rensselaer, NY, USA.
2 New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA.
J Appl Gerontol. 2019 Jul;38(7):983-998. doi: 10.1177/0733464817703004. Epub 2017 Apr 11.
This study aimed to evaluate a community-based implementation of an evidence-based fall prevention program, in which 131 individuals participated in Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance. Self-report and functional performance assessments included demographics, health and fall history, the Activities-Specific Balance Scale, the Timed Up and Go test, and the Functional Reach test. Pre-post scores were compared with the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The mostly female participants were 73 years old, on average. At baseline, 18% reported being afraid or very afraid of falling, and 18% had fallen in the past 6 months. At follow-up, there was significant improvement in Timed Up and Go ( p < .001), Functional Reach ( p < .01), and Activities-Specific Balance Scale scores ( p < .01). These results demonstrate that a 12-week evidence-based Tai Chi program can be feasibly implemented by novice instructors, is well-received by older adults, and can effectively reduce fall risk when implemented in community settings.
本研究旨在评估一项基于社区的循证预防跌倒计划的实施情况，共有 131 人参与了太极：动平衡。自我报告和功能表现评估包括人口统计学、健康和跌倒史、活动特异性平衡量表、计时起立行走测试和功能性伸展测试。采用 Wilcoxon 符号秩检验比较前后得分。参与者主要为女性，平均年龄为 73 岁。基线时，18%的人表示害怕或非常害怕跌倒，18%的人在过去 6 个月中跌倒过。随访时，计时起立行走测试（p<.001）、功能性伸展测试（p<.01）和活动特异性平衡量表评分（p<.01）均有显著改善。这些结果表明，为期 12 周的循证太极拳计划可以由新手指导员在社区环境中实施，并且深受老年人的欢迎，可以有效地降低跌倒风险。
