Characteristics of participants
| First author (year) | Condition | Sample size n (M/F) | Dropout n (%) | Mean age (SD) | Disease severity Mean (SD) | Comparison group(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galantino (2003)32 | Breast cancer | 11 (0/11) | 3 (27.3) | Unknown | Stage II–IV | Walking |
| Mustian (200441 200618 2008)19 Sprod (2012)49 | Breast cancer | 31 (0/31) | 10 (32.3) | 52 (9) | Stage 0–IIIb breast cancer | Psychosocial support therapy typical care Con |
| Robins (2013)39 | Breast cancer | 145 (0/145) | 36 (24.8) | 50 | Unknown | Spiritual growth group/Con |
| Rausch (2007)53 | Breast cancer | 40 (0/40) | 11 (27.5) | 49 | Stage I or II | Spiritual growth group/Con |
| Campo (2013)45 | Cancer survivors | 63 (0/63) | 9 (14.3) | 67 (7.15) | Unknown | Education Con |
| Adler (2007)54 | Hip or knee OA | 22 (1/13) | 8 (36.3) | TC 70.8 (8.0) Con 72.8 (5.4) | Pain intensity (0–100): 48.6 (20.3) | Non-physical recreational activity |
| Brismée (2007)36 | Knee OA | 41 (7/34) | 10 (24.3) | TC 70.8 (9.8) Con 68.8 (8.9) | Pain VAS: TC 4.7 (2.6); Con 4.2 (1.8) WOMAC total (26–130): TC 64.6 (17.4); Con 59.6 (15.2) | Attention Con |
| Fransen (2007)33 | Hip or knee OA | 152 (40/112) | 11 (7.2) | TC 70.8 (6.3) Hydrotherapy 70.0 (6.3) Con 69.6 (6.1) | WOMAC—pain (0–100): TC 40.3 (19.0); hydrotherapy 38.2 (17.4); Con 44.4 (17.0) | Hydrotherapy/Con (waitlist) |
| Hartman (2000)31 | L/E or lumbar spine OA | 35 (5/28) | 2 (5.7) | TC 68.6 (7.9) Con 67.5 (6.1) | Unknown | Usual PA and routine care |
| Lee (2009)24 | Knee OA | 44 (3/41) | 3 (6.8) | TC 70.2 (4.8) Con 66.9 (6.0) | Kellgren-Lawrence, n (%): Gr 2: TC 14 (48.3%); Con 8 (53.3%) Gr 3: TC 13 (45%); Con 7 (47%) Gr 4: TC 2 (6.9%); Con 0 (0%) | Con |
| Song (200323 2007)50 | Knee OA | 72 (0/72) | 29 (40.2) | TC 64.8 (6.0) Con 62.5 (5.6) | K-WOMAC—pain (0–20): TC 6.91 (4.1); Con 8.90 (5.1)Physical function: TC 37.59 (10.6); Con 37.95 (12.6) | Con |
| Song (2010)38 | Knee OA | 82 (0/82) | 17 (20.7) | TC 63.03 (7.27) Con 61.20 (7.96) | Unknown | Self-help education programme |
| Tsai (2013)37 | Knee OA | 55 (15/40) | 10 (18.2) | TC 78.89 (6.91) Con 78.93 (8.30) | WOMAC—pain: TC 6.96 (3.26); Con 7.65 (3.21) | Attention Con |
| Wang (2009)44 | Knee OA | 40 (10/30) | 0 (0) | TC 63 (8.1) Con 68 (7.0) | Kellgren-Lawrence, n (%): Gr 2: TC 4 (20%); Con 3 (15%) Gr 3: TC 7 (35%); Con 3 (15%) Gr 4: TC 9 (45%); Con 14 (70%) | The wellness education and stretching programme |
| Barrow (2007)22 | HF | 65 (53/12) | 13 (20) | TC 68.4 Con 67.9 | NYHA symptom class II–III, MLHF mean score: TC 35.1; Con 34.9 | Con |
| Yeh (200452 2008a21 2008b)51 | HF | 30 (19/11) | 0 (0) | 64 (13) | Left ventricular ejection fraction,%: TC 24 (7); Con 22 (8) NYHA score: TC 2.2 (1.0); Con 2.2 (0.6) | Usual care |
| Yeh (2011)43 | HF | 100 (64/36) | 4 (4) | 67 (11) | Left ventricular ejection fraction,%: TC 28 (8); Con 29 (7) NYHA class HF I/II/III, n (%): TC 10 (20)/ 31 (62)/ 9 (18); Con 10 (20)/ 32 (64)/ 8 (16) | Education Con |
| Yeh (2013)55 | HF | 16 (8/8) | 0 (0) | 66 (12) | NYHA class I/II/III, %: TC 12/50/38; Con 25/63/12 | Aerobic Ex |
| Caminiti (2011)58 | HF | 60 (51/9) | 0 (0) | 73.8 (6) | Ejection fraction,%: TC 33.6 (9); Con 32.8 (12) | Endurance training |
| Chan (201035 201134 2013a46 2013b)47 | COPD | 206 (187/19) | 48 (23) | TC 71.7 (8.2) Ex 73.6 (7.5) Con 73.6 (7.4) | Mild=15.5%; moderate=41.7%; severe=42.7% | Ex/Con |
| Leung (2013)56 | COPD | 42 (27/15) | 4 (9.5) | 73 (8) | % pred FEV1=59 (16); FEV1/FVC %=47 (13) | Usual medical care |
| Yeh (2010)42 | COPD | 10 (6/4) | 1 (10) | TC 65 (6) Con 66 (6) | % pred FEV1=50 (12); FEV1/FVC=0.63 (0.14) | Usual care |
| Niu (2014)40 | COPD | 40 (3/37) | 1 (2.5) | TC 59.7 (12.34) Con 61.3 (12.92) | FEV1 (% pred): TC 41.9 (24.60) Con 43.7 (23.08) | Routine medical care |
| Ng (2014)57 | COPD | 192 (175/17) | 54 (28.1) | TC 74.16 (6.46) Con 74.13 (6.81) | TC: mild=20%; moderate=32%; severe=34%; very severe=14% Con: mild=20%; moderate=49%; severe=27%; very severe=4% | Pulmonary rehabilitation programme |
The bold typeface represents values for disease severity are evaluation tools or methods used to determine disease severity. % pred, Per cent predicted; Con, control; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Ex, exercise; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 s; FVC, forced vital capacity; Gr, grade; HF, heart failure; L/E, lower extremity; M/F, male/female; MLHF, Minnesota Living with Heart Failure; NYHA, New York Heart Association; OA, osteoarthritis; PA, physical activity; TC, Tai Chi; VAS, visual analogue scale.