title: The Effects of Pilates Training on Balance Control and Self-Reported Health Status in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: To evaluate the effect of a group-based Pilates training program on balance control and health status in healthy older adults.
  
  
  
  A single-blind, randomized, controlled trial.
  
  
  
  General community.
  
  
  
  A total of 88 community-dwelling older adults (age 71.15 ± 4.30 years), without evidence of functional balance impairment, were recruited and allocated at random to a Pilates intervention group (n = 44) or a control group (n = 44).
  
  
  
  The Pilates intervention group received 36 training sessions over three months (3 sessions a week), while the control group did not receive any intervention.
  
  
  
  Standing upright postural stability, performance-based measures of balance, and self-reported health status was assessed in both groups at baseline and at the end of the intervention period.
  
  
  
  Compared with the control group, the Pilates intervention did not improve postural stability, baseline functional measures of balance, or health status.
  
  
  
  The results suggest that because Pilates training is not task specific, it does not improve balance control or balance function in independent older adults.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Hadas
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gabizon
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Press
authors.forename: Ilia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Volkov
authors.forename: Itshak
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Melzer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D026241:Exercise Movement Techniques; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D008297:Male; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D057566:Self Report; D016037:Single-Blind Method