Table 1 Sample MEDLINE search strategy

Limit: language and exclude animal only

(English[lang]) NOT (“Animals”[Mesh] NOT (“Animals”[Mesh] AND “Humans”[Mesh]))

Population

AND “old”[tiab] OR “older”[tiab] OR “aged”[tiab] OR “aging”[tiab] OR “ageing”[tiab] OR “elderly” [tiab]

Limit: age groups

NOT ((“infant”[Mesh] OR “child”[mesh] OR “adolescent”[mh])

NOT ((“infant”[Mesh] OR “child”[mesh] OR “adolescent”[mh]) AND “adult”[Mesh]))

Limit: date

AND (“2010/01/01”[PDAT]: “3000/12/31”[PDAT])

Publication type

AND (systematic[sb] OR meta-analysis[pt] OR “systematic review” [tiab] OR “systematic literature review” [tiab] OR metaanalysis[tiab] OR “meta analysis”[tiab] OR metanalyses[tiab] OR “meta analyses”[tiab] OR “pooled analysis”[tiab] OR “pooled analyses” [tiab] OR “pooled data”[tiab])

Limit: publication type

NOT (“comment” [Publication Type] OR “editorial” [Publication Type])

Physical activity:

AND ((“Activities of daily living”[tiab] OR “Activity of daily living”[tiab] OR “Aerobic activities”[tiab] OR “Aerobic activity”[tiab] OR “Balance training”[tiab] OR “Cardiovascular activities”[tiab] OR “Cardiovascular activity”[tiab] OR “Chi kung”[tiab] OR “Endurance activities”[tiab] OR “Endurance activity”[tiab] OR “Exercise”[mh] OR “Exercise”[tiab] OR “Free living activities”[tiab] OR “Free living activity”[tiab] OR “Functional training”[tiab] OR “Lifestyle activities”[tiab] OR “Lifestyle activity”[tiab] OR “Physical activity”[tiab] OR “Qigong”[tiab] OR “Recreational activities”[tiab] OR “Recreational activity”[tiab] OR “stretching”[tiab] OR “Tai ji”[mh] OR “Yoga”[mh] OR “Qigong”[mh]) OR “Physical activities”[tiab] OR “Physical conditioning”[tiab] OR “Resistance training”[tiab] OR “strength training”[tiab] OR “Tai chi”[tiab] OR “Tai ji”[tiab] OR “Walk”[tiab] OR “Walking”[tiab] OR “Yoga”[tiab] NOT medline[sb]))