Introduction: The positive impact of Tai Chi on body balance and coordination has been confirmed in many intervention and prevention programs for elderly people, especially in the field of falls and fractures. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of a six-month Tai Chi program on selfassessment of health condition of practitioners aged 50 years and older. The relationship between this variable and 10-year fracture risk was also evaluated. Material and Methods: The study involved 41 persons aged 50 and more (mean 61.5, SD=6.1) beginning tai chi practice. Self-assessment of health condition was performed using a 5-point scale, while a 10-year fracture risk was estimated using both the FRAX calculator and the GARVAN nomogram (on-line versions). Self-assessment of health condition was conducted during the first and sixth month of Tai Chi classes. The fracture risk was assessed at the beginning of the training program. Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in self-assessment of health condition after 6 months of tai chi practice both in the whole study group (p=0.0023) and in the subgroup of women (p=0.0005). Perceived improvement was independent of age. There was also a correlation between better self-assessment of health condition measured before Tai Chi program and lower 10-year fracture risk calculated from GARVAN nomogram (p=0.0146). Greater improvement in self-assessment of health conditions a result of Tai Chi program was reported for participants with lower 10-year fracture risk estimated by GARVAN nomogram (p=0.0642). Conclusions: Health benefits from participating in the 6-month Tai Chi program have occurred in community-dwelling elderly people regardless of their age. Due to the different algorithms used in the FRAX and GARVAN tools and different definition of the term "osteoporotic fracture", it is not possible to directly compare the results obtained with these two methods.

中文翻译：

---

太极拳练习者的健康状况自我评估及其与骨折风险的关系

简介：在许多针对老年人的干预和预防计划中，尤其是在跌倒和骨折领域，已经证实了太极拳对身体平衡和协调的积极影响。这项研究的目的是确定为期六个月的太极计划对年龄在50岁及以上的从业者健康状况自我评估的影响。还评估了该变量与10年骨折风险之间的关系。材料和方法：该研究涉及41位年龄在50岁及以上（平均61.5，SD = 6.1）的太极拳练习者。使用5分制量表对健康状况进行自我评估，同时使用FRAX计算器和GARVAN nomogram（在线版本）评估10年骨折风险。在太极课程的第一个月和第六个月进行健康状况的自我评估。在培训计划开始时评​​估了骨折风险。结果：太极拳练习6个月后，在整个研究组（p = 0.0023）和妇女子组（p = 0.0005）中，健康状况的自我评估在统计学上都有显着改善。感知的改善与年龄无关。太极计划前测得的健康状况更好的自我评估与GARVAN诺模图计算出的10年骨折风险较低之间也存在相关性（p = 0.0146）。据GARVAN nomogram估计，具有较低的10年骨折风险的参与者使用太极拳计划后，健康状况的自我评估有了更大的改善（p = 0.0642）。结论：参加为期六个月的太极计划的健康益处已在社区居住的老年人中出现，无论其年龄如何。由于FRAX和GARVAN工具中使用的算法不同以及术语“骨质疏松性骨折”的定义不同，因此无法直接比较这两种方法获得的结果。