R G Cumming

Dr R G Cumming, Concord Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; bobc@health.usyd.edu.au

STUDY DESIGN

Design:

randomised controlled trial.

Allocation:

unclear.*

Blinding:

unclear if blinded.*

Setting:

community in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

STUDY QUESTION

Participants:

702 people ⩾60 years of age (mean age 69 y, range 60–96 y, 84% women) who lived in the community and had not practised tai chi in the previous year. Participants with degenerative neurological conditions, dementia, severely debilitating stroke, severe arthritis, marked vision impairment, or inability to walk across a room unaided were excluded.

Intervention:

a 16-week, community-based, tai chi programme (n = 353) or a 24-week waiting list (n = 349). The tai chi programme comprised weekly 1-hour classes of 8–15 participants. Classes were …