Use the Back button in your browser to see the other results of your search or to select another record.

Detailed Search Results

Effect of cyber-golfing on balance amongst the elderly in Hong Kong: a pilot randomised trial
Chow DHK, Mann SKF
Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy 2015 Dec;26:9-13
clinical trial
3/10 [Eligibility criteria: Yes; Random allocation: Yes; Concealed allocation: No; Baseline comparability: Yes; Blind subjects: No; Blind therapists: No; Blind assessors: No; Adequate follow-up: No; Intention-to-treat analysis: No; Between-group comparisons: Yes; Point estimates and variability: No. Note: Eligibility criteria item does not contribute to total score] *This score has been confirmed*

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Recent evidence showed that golf can develop balance amongst the elderly. This study aimed at evaluating if exergaming, in particular cyber-golfing, can be a feasible and inexpensive alternative to this valuable exercise. METHODS: Twenty healthy community-dwelling elderly were recruited, and they were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 10) or the control group (n = 10). Daily cyber-golfing training for 2 weeks was assigned to the participants of the experimental group, where regular table games with equal lengths and durations were arranged for the control group. RESULTS: The results revealed that the participants in the experimental group showed significantly better post-training performances in the functional-reach test, F[2,17] = 5.16, p = 0.04, and single-leg-stance test, F[2,17] = 5.32, p = 0.03, than those in the control group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that cyber-golfing might be an alternative to golfing, which is capable of enhancing balance ability amongst community-dwelling elderly. The potential of exergaming as a clinical tool for geriatric rehabilitation was discussed.

Full text (sometimes free) may be available at these link(s):      help