Effects of exercise training programs on balance of blind children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarize the results related to the effects of exercise training programs on balance of blind children and adolescents.

METHODS

Primary sources were obtained from 9 databases and searched from inception until February 2021. Potential articles were screened for eligibility, and data were extracted by 2 independent researchers. The quality assessment scores of eligible studies were obtained from the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scales (PEDro).

RESULTS

7 studies with 112 participants were included in the systematic review and 6 studies with 106 participants in the meta-analysis. The results of the present systematic review and meta-analysis showed that exercise training programs have a positive effect with level 1b evidence and moderate effect size on static balance (P = 0.001) and level 2a evidence and large effect size on dynamic balance (P = 0.001) in blind children and adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present systematic review and meta-analysis on studies with moderate methodological quality showed that exercise training programs have a positive effect on static and dynamic balance in blind children and adolescents. To draw better conclusions about the level of effectiveness of the exercises, original studies with a stronger design are needed.