ReviewEuropean review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity2024
Comparing the effects of aquatic-based exercise and land-based exercise on balance in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Comparative Efficacy of Different Aquatic Exercise Modalities on Cognitive Function in The Elderly: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Journal of sports science & medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Optimal dose of aquatic exercise for improving muscle strength in older adults: a Bayesian model-based meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- The effects of hydrotherapy on athletic ability in children with cerebral palsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of non-pharmacological interventions on body composition and physical function in older women with sarcopenic obesity: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of aquatic exercise on improving body composition and muscle strength in the older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Fall-Related Physical Function, Executive Function, and Myokine Responses in Older Women with Obesity Participating in a 16-Week Combined Aquatic Exercise Program: A Prospective Observational Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Observational
- Rehabilitation modalities in ankylosing spondylitis: orthopaedic perspectives on function, bone health, and surgical safety.Journal of orthopaedics · 2026Review
- Effects of exercise regimens on balance ability in older patients with osteoporosis: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Review
- Using a co-design approach to develop aquatic reactive balance training for fall prevention.PloS one · 2026Article
- Feasibility of Aquatic Reactive Balance Training (AquaReBal) for Older Adults: Protocol for a Single-Arm Pre-Post Study.Gerontology · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of warm acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of osteoarthritis: a retrospective study on clinical and molecular outcomes.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Big Data-Driven Health Portraits for Personalized Management in Noncommunicable Diseases: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
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- Comparative Analysis of Physical Fitness in Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments Among Elderly Women.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBalance plays a crucial role in the daily activities of older adults. Aquatic-based exercises (AE) are widely conducted as an alternative to land-based exercises (LE). Previous studies have compared AE and LE as effective ways to improve balance and have yielded inconsistent results. Therefore, this review aimed to compare the effects of AE and LE on balance function in older adults.
methodsElectronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase, were searched. Randomized controlled trials published from January 2003 to June 2023 were included following predetermined criteria. Data extraction was carried out by two independent reviewers. Data synthesis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 software. The fixed-effect model or random-effect model was chosen based on the results of the heterogeneity test. Meta-analysis for the effect sizes of balance outcomes was calculated as standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The quality of the included studies was evaluated using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. This review was registered at PROSPERO CRD42023429557.
resultsA total of 29 studies involving 1486 older adults (with an average age of 66.2 years) were included. Meta-analysis results indicated that AE could improve balance ability based on two tests: the Berg balance scale (BBS: SMD = 1.13, 95% CI 0.25 to 2.00, p = 0.01, I
conclusionsAlthough this was influenced by participant health status, transfer effects, sample size, and other factors, AE offers better benefits than LE for improving balance function in older adults.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.