Psychological health outcomes of traditional Chinese exercises in older adults: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Traditional Chinese exercises significantly improved depression in older adults compared to control groups.

• SMD = -0.51, 95% CI [-0.72 to -0.29], p < 0.00001
• Analysis based on 42 RCTs involving 4,317 participants
• Effect size indicates a moderate reduction in depressive symptoms
• No injuries or adverse events were reported across included studies

Traditional Chinese exercises significantly reduced anxiety symptoms in older adults compared to control groups.

• SMD = -0.39, 95% CI [-0.63 to -0.15], p = 0.002
• Analysis included 42 RCTs with 4,317 total participants
• Effect size indicates a small-to-moderate reduction in anxiety
• None of the included studies reported injuries or adverse events

Traditional Chinese exercises significantly improved subjective well-being in older adults compared to control groups.

• SMD = 1.07, 95% CI [0.18 to 1.96], p = 0.02
• Effect size indicates a large improvement in subjective well-being
• This was the largest effect size observed across all five psychological outcomes examined
• High heterogeneity was noted in some outcomes, but studies with heterogeneity did not have a significant effect on the results

Traditional Chinese exercises showed positive but non-statistically significant effects on general self-efficacy in older adults.

• SMD = 0.63, 95% CI [-0.05 to 1.31], p = 0.07
• The confidence interval crossed zero, indicating the effect was not statistically significant
• The trend was in a positive direction favoring TCE interventions

Traditional Chinese exercises showed positive but non-statistically significant effects on self-esteem in older adults.

• SMD = 0.54, 95% CI [-0.06 to 1.13], p = 0.08
• The confidence interval crossed zero, indicating the effect was not statistically significant
• The trend was in a positive direction favoring TCE interventions

Subgroup analyses identified specific TCE implementation parameters associated with optimal psychological health outcomes.

• Recommended intervention modality is group-based exercise class
• Recommended session duration is 30 to 50 minutes
• Recommended frequency is 3 to 5 times per week
• Recommended minimum intervention duration is 24 weeks
• Subgroups analyzed included type of TCEs, mode of intervention, duration of intervention, frequency of exercise, duration of single session, and type of control condition

No injuries or adverse events were reported among participants across all 42 included RCTs.

• 42 RCTs with 4,317 participants were included in the meta-analysis
• Safety outcome was reported consistently across all included studies
• Authors concluded TCEs represent an 'effective and safe intervention'

The meta-analysis searched five Chinese and English databases from inception to July 2, 2025 and included 42 RCTs with 4,317 participants.

• Databases were searched from their inception to July 2, 2025
• Included outcomes were depression, anxiety, subjective well-being, general self-efficacy, and self-esteem
• Study screening and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers
• Meta-analyses were conducted using Rev Man 5.4 and Stata 17.0
• Study was registered on PROSPERO (No. CRD420251067843)