***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: This study was design ed to determine whether a 6-month Tai Chi exercise program can improve self-reported physical functioning limitations among healthy , physically inactive older individuals . Ninety-four community residents ages 65 to 96 ( M age = 72.8 years , SD = 5.1 ) volunteered to participate in the study . Participants were r and omly assigned to either a 6-month experimental ( Tai Chi ) group ( n = 49 ) , which exercised twice per week for 60 min , or a wait-list control group ( n = 45 ) . A 6-item self-report physical functioning scale , assessing the extent of behavioral dysfunction caused by health problems , was used to evaluate change in physical functioning limitations as a result of Tai Chi intervention . Results indicated that compared to the control group , participants in the Tai Chi group experienced significant improvements in all aspects of physical functioning over the course of the 6-month intervention . Overall , the experimental group had 65 % improvement across all 6 functional status measures ranging from daily activities such as walking and lifting to moderate-vigorous activities such as running . It was concluded that the 6-month Tai Chi exercise program was effective for improving functional status in healthy , physically inactive older adults . A self-paced and self-controlled activity such as Tai Chi has the potential to be an effective , low-cost means of improving functional status in older persons OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of two exercise approaches , Tai Chi ( TC ) and computerized balance training ( BT ) , on specified primary outcomes ( biomedical , functional , and psychosocial indicators of frailty ) and secondary outcomes ( occurrence of falls ) . DESIGN The Atlanta FICSIT ( Frailty and Injuries : Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques ) , a prospect i ve , r and omized , controlled clinical trial with three arms ( TC , BT , and education [ ED ] . Intervention length was 15 weeks , with primary outcomes measured before and after intervention and at 4-month follow-up . Falls were monitored continuously throughout the study . SETTING Persons aged 70 and older living in the community . PARTICIPANTS A total of 200 participants , 162 women and 38 men ; mean age was 76.2 . MEASUREMENTS Biomedical ( strength , flexibility , cardiovascular endurance , body composition ) , functional ( IADL ) , and psychosocial well-being ( CES-D scale , fear of falling question naire , self-perception of present and future health , mastery index , perceived quality of sleep , and intrusiveness ) variables . RESULTS Grip strength declined in all groups , and lower extremity range of motion showed limited but statistically significant changes . Lowered blood pressure before and after a 12-minute walk was seen following TC participation . Fear of falling responses and intrusiveness responses were reduced after the TC intervention compared with the ED group ( P = .046 and P = .058 , respectively ) . After adjusting for fall risk factors , TC was found to reduce the risk of multiple falls by 47.5 % . CONCLUSIONS A moderate TC intervention can impact favorably on defined biomedical and psychosocial indices of frailty . This intervention can also have favorable effects upon the occurrence of falls .  Tai Chi warrants further study as an exercise treatment to improve the health of older people The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Tai Chi Chih on balance , flexibility , mood , health status , and blood pressure in a sample of community-dwelling elders . A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was used in the study . Participants were recruited from a senior center located in the suburbs of a large metropolitan area . The experimental group consisted of 24 volunteers over the age of 55 who performed 60 minutes of Tai Chi Chih once a week for 10 weeks and practice d at home . The control group consisted of 22 volunteers who continued with their current level of activity . Analysis of covariance revealed a significant difference between the two groups on balance ( F = 4.3 , p < .05 ) . This study suggests that Tai Chi Chih is a safe and enjoyable form of exercise that might improve balance in community-dwelling elders Older persons who are willing to begin exercise programs are often not willing to continue them . At the Atlanta FICSIT ( Frailty and Injuries : Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques ) site , individuals aged 70 + were r and omized to  Tai Chi ( TC ) , individualized balance training ( BT ) , and exercise control education ( ED ) groups for 15 weeks . In a follow-up assessment 4 months post-intervention , 130 subjects responded to exit interview questions asking about perceived benefits of participation . Both TC and BT subjects reported increased confidence in balance and movement , but only TC subjects reported that their daily activities and their overall life had been affected ; many of these subjects had changed their normal physical activity to incorporate ongoing TC practice . The data suggest that when mental as well as physical control is perceived to be enhanced , with a generalized sense of improvement in overall well-being , older persons ' motivation to continue exercising also increases PURPOSE This study prospect ively evaluated the training effect of a 1-yr Tai Chi Chuan ( TCC ) program for low-risk patients with coronary artery bypass surgery ( CABS ) after a postoperative outpatient ( phase II ) cardiac rehabilitation program . METHODS Twenty patients with mean age of 56.5+/-7.4 yr completed this study . The  TCC group included nine men who practice d classical Yang TCC  with an exercise intensity of 48 - 57 % heart rate range ( HRR ) . The control group included 11 men whom were recommended to do a home-based self-adjusted exercise program with similar intensity of phase II cardiac rehabilitation . Grade d exercise tests were performed before and after 1 yr of training for all subjects . RESULTS Mean attendance of the TCC group was 3.8+/-1.5 times weekly in contrast to 1.7+/-1.1 times for the control group . During the follow-up examination , the TCC group increased 10.3 % in VO2peak ( from 26.2+/-4.4 to 28.9+/-5.0 mL x kg(-1 ) min(-1 ) , P<0.01 ) and increased 11.9 % in peak work rate ( from 135+/-26 W to 151+/-28 W , P<0.01 ) . However , the control group showed slight decrease in VO2peak from 26.0+/-3.9 to 25.6+/-4.6 mL x kg(-1 ) x min(-1 ) and in peak work rate from 131+/-23 W to 128+/-32 W. At the ventilatory threshold , the TCC group also showed significant increase in VO2 and work rate ( P<0.05 ) . The control group did not significantly change in these variables . CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrated that a 1-yr TCC program for low-risk patients with CABS could favorably enhance cardiorespiratory function Most systematic review s rely substantially on the assessment of the method ological quality of the individual trials . The aim of this study was to obtain consensus among experts about a set of generic core items for quality assessment of r and omized clinical trials ( RCTs ) . The invited participants were experts in the field of quality assessment of RCTs . The initial item pool contained all items from existing criteria lists . Subsequently , we reduced the number of items by using the Delphi consensus technique . Each Delphi round comprised a question naire , an analysis , and a feedback report . The feedback report included staff team decisions made on the basis of the analysis and their justification . A total of 33 international experts agreed to participate , of whom 21 completed all question naires . The initial item pool of 206 items was reduced to 9 items in three Delphi rounds . The final criteria list ( the Delphi list ) was satisfactory to all participants . It is a starting point on the way to a minimum reference st and ard for RCTs on many different research topics . This list is not intended to replace , but rather to be used alongside , existing criteria lists BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE This study explored whether two exercise programs would affect the ability to minimize postural sway of 72 relatively inactive , older subjects who participated in the Atlanta FICSIT trial . SUBJECTS Subjects were r and omly assigned to ( 1 ) a computerized balance training group , ( 2 ) a tai chi group , or ( 3 ) an educational group serving as a control for exercise .  Each group consisted of 24 members . METHODS All subjects were evaluated under four postural conditions before , immediately after , and 4 months following their respective interventions , each of which was given over 15 weeks . RESULTS Platform balance measures revealed greater stability after training among subjects in the balance training group but little change in stability among subjects in the tai chi and educational group . Subjects in the tai chi group were less afraid of falling after training compared with subjects in other groups with similar covariates . CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION Unlike computerized balance training , tai chi does not improve measures of postural stability . Because tai chi delayed onset to first or multiple falls in older individuals , this effect does not appear to be associated with measures of enhanced postural stability .  Tai chi may gain its success , in part , from promoting confidence without reducing sway rather than primarily facilitating a reduction in sway-based measures BACKGROUND A r and omized controlled trial was conducted to examine : ( a ) the effect of two physical activity modes on changes in subjective well-being ( SWB ) over the course of a 12-month period in older , formerly sedentary adults ( N = 174 , M age = 65.5 years ) and ( b ) the role played by physical activity participation and social support in changes in SWB over time . METHOD Participants were r and omized into either an aerobic activity group or a stretching and toning group . Structural equation modeling was employed to conduct multiple sample latent growth curve analyses of individual growth in measures of SWB ( happiness , satisfaction with life , and loneliness ) over time . RESULTS A curvilinear growth pattern was revealed with well-being significantly improving over the course of the intervention followed by significant declines at the 6-month follow-up . Subsequent structural analyses were conducted showing that frequency of exercise participation was a significant predictor of improvement in satisfaction with life , whereas social relations were related to increases in satisfaction with life and reductions in loneliness . Improvements in social relations and exercise frequency also helped to buffer the declines in satisfaction with life at follow-up . CONCLUSIONS It appears that social relations integral to the exercise environment are significant determinants of subjective well-being in older adults . Findings are discussed in terms of how physical activity environments might be structured to maximize improvements in more global well-being constructs such as satisfaction with life OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effects of two exercise approaches , tai chi ( TC ) and computerized balance training ( BT ) , on specified primary outcomes ( biomedical , functional , and psychosocial indicators of frailty ) and secondary outcomes ( occurrences of fall ) . DESIGN The Atlanta Frailty and Injuries : Cooperative Studies and Intervention Techniques , a prospect i ve , r and omized , controlled clinical trial with three arms ( TC , BT , and education ( ED ) ) . Intervention length was 15 weeks , with primary outcomes measured before and after intervention and at 4-month follow-up . Falls were monitored continuously throughout the study . SETTING Persons aged 70 and older living in the community . PARTICIPANTS A total of 200 participants , 162 women and 38 men ; mean age was 76.2 . MEASUREMENTS Biomedical ( strength , flexibility , cardiovascular endurance , body composition ) , functional instrumental activities of daily living ( IADL ) , and psychosocial well-being ( Center for Epidemiological Studies for Depression scale , fear of falling question naire , self-perception of present and future health , mastery index , perceived quality of sleep , and intrusiveness ) variables . RESULTS Grip strength declined in all groups , and lower extremity range of motion showed limited but statistically significant changes . Lowered blood pressure before and after a 12-minute walk was seen following TC participation . Fear of falling responses and intrusiveness responses were reduced after the TC intervention compared with the ED group ( P=.046 and P=.058 , respectively ) . After adjusting for fall risk factors , TC was found to reduce the risk of multiple falls by 47.5 % . CONCLUSION A moderate TC intervention can impact favorably on defined biomedical and psychosocial indices of frailty . This intervention can also have favorable effects upon the occurrence of falls .  TC warrants further study as an exercise treatment to improve the health of older people OBJECTIVE To determine , in a cohort of ambulatory older adults , whether spatial-temporal measures of foot placement during gait can predict the likelihood of future falls or whether these measures are more likely to be indicative of adaptations associated with pre-existing fear of falling . DESIGN Prospect i ve cohort study . SETTING Baseline gait measurements were performed in a gait and balance laboratory ; subsequent history of falling was monitored prospect ively for 1 year in two self-care facilities . PARTICIPANTS Fourteen male and 61 female consecutive volunteers ( mean age = 82 , SD = 6 ) who were independent in activities of daily living and able to walk 10 m unaided . MEASUREMENTS Spatial gait parameters  were derived from digitized " footprints " ; temporal parameters were derived using footswitches . A clinical activity-based gait assessment was also performed . The dependent variables were pre-existing fear of falling ( reported at baseline ) and future falling ( experiencing one or more falls during the 1-year follow-up ) . MAIN RESULTS Reduced stride length , reduced speed , increased double-support time , and poorer clinical gait scores were associated with fear but showed little evidence of an independent association with falling . Conversely , increased stride-to-stride variability in stride length , speed , and double-support was associated independently with falling but showed little evidence of relationship to fear . Increased stride width showed some evidence of association with both falling and fear . Stride-to-stride variability in speed was the single best independent predictor of falling . CONCLUSIONS Changes in gait cited previously as risk factors for 
    Output:
    
There is limited evidence that TCC is effective in reducing falls and blood pressure in the elderly