The effects of Tai Chi training on physical fitness, perceived health, and blood pressure in elderly Vietnamese (original) (raw)
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Evaluating the effects of Tai Chi on physical fitness and mental health of the elderly
2013
The aims of this study are to examine the effects of 24-form Tai Chi exercise in six months on physical fitness, blood pressure and perceived health as well as sleep quality, visual attention, and balance ability of older people living in dwelling community. This study is also aimed to compare differences in physical fitness and subjectively rated health between German and Vietnamese older adults in terms cross-cultural study between Vietnamese and German samples. The subjects were divided randomly into two groups, Training group and Control group. The subjects were expected to consent or volunteer. Participants in Training group (forty eight subjects ranging in age from 60 years to 80 (69.02±5.16) were assigned 6-months Tai Chi training in Vinh city, Vietnam. Participants in the control group (forty eight subjects ranging in age from 60 years to 79 (68.72±4.94) were instructed to maintain their routine daily activities and not to begin any new exercise programs. The SFT were used i...
Tai chi for lowering resting blood pressure in the elderly: a systematic review
Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 2010
Objectives To assess the evidence for tai chi in reducing resting blood pressure (BP) in the elderly. Methods Databases were searched up to February 2009. All randomized clinical trials (RCTs) testing the effects of tai chi on resting BP in the elderly were considered. The selection of studies, data extraction and validation were performed independently by two reviewers. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Jadad score. Results A total of 329 potentially relevant articles were identified and four RCTs met the inclusion criteria. One study suggested a significant BP reduction compared with no treatment or wellness education programme, while the others showed no effects compared with resistance exercise and usual activity. Two RCTs failed to show a reduction of resting BP compared with aerobic exercise, low impact exercise and no exercise control. Conclusion The evidence for tai chi in reducing BP in the elderly individuals is limited. Whether tai chi has benefits over exercise is still unclear. The number of trials and the total sample size are too small to draw any firm conclusions. Further rigorous RCTs are warranted. Authors' contributions: Myeong Soo Lee designed the review, performed searches, appraised and selected trials, extracted data, contacted authors for additional data, carried out analysis and interpretation of the data, and drafted this report. Eun-Nam Lee reviewed and critiqued on the review protocol and this report, assisted in designing of the review and selecting trials, extracting data, analysis and interpretation of the data. Jong-In Kim reviewed and critiqued on this report, assisted in analysis and interpretation of the data. Edzard Ernst reviewed and critiqued on the review protocol and this report, assisted in designing of the review.
Clinical Endocrinology, 2005
Background: Tai Chi is rapidly gaining in popularity, worldwide. This study was performed to assess its impact on cardiovascular risk factors in comparison with resistance training exercises in elderly Chinese subjects. Methods: A total of 207 healthy elderly participants (65-74 years, 113/207 (55%) men) were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups: 1) Tai Chi, three times/week for one hour/session (n=64); 2) Resistance training exercise, three times/week for one hour/session (n=65); 3) Usual level of physical activity control group (n=78). Anthropometric measures, dual x-ray densitometry body composition, blood pressure, lipids, glycaemic, and insulin sensitivity indices were measured at baseline, and 12 months. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to assess the betweengroup changes using a last-observation-carried-forward intention-to-treat approach. Results: A total of 180 (87.0%) subjects completed the study. No significant changes were identified in the Tai Chi group compared to the resistance training or control groups. Of the primary outcomes, only the improvement in the insulin sensitivity index differed being significantly greater in the resistance training than in the control group (mean difference 0.018 (95%CI 0.000, 0.037) mmol glucose/min, p=0.02), and tending to be greater than in the Tai Chi group (mean difference 0.019 (95%CI 0.000, 0.038) mmol glucose/min, p<0.06). Conclusion: Tai Chi had no significant effect on any measure compared to the controls, whereas resistance training improved the insulin sensitivity index in this 12 month study.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Tai Chi (TC) on arterial stiffness, physical function of lower-limb, and cognitive ability in adults aged over 60. Methods: This study was a prospective and randomized 12-week intervention trial with three repeated measurements (baseline, 6, and 12 weeks). Sixty healthy adults who met the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated into three training conditions (TC-24, TC-42, and TC-56) matched by gender, with 20 participants (10 males, 10 females) in each of the three groups. We measured the following health outcomes, including markers of atherosclerosis, physical function (leg power, and static and dynamic balance) of lower-limb, and cognitive ability. Results: When all three TC groups (p < 0.05) have showed significant improvements on these outcomes but overall cognitive ability at 6 or 12 weeks training period, TC-56 appears to have superior effects on arterial stiffness and static/dynamic balance in the p...
Delineating the impact of Tai Chi training on physical function among the elderly
2002
Background: Through a re-analysis of a Tai Chi intervention data set, the study objective was to determine which, if any, subgroups of the study sample evidenced differential benefits from the intervention. Method: Re-analysis of a Tai Chi intervention study, a randomized controlled trial in Eugene and Springfield, Oregon. Physically inactive participants aged≥ 65 years were randomly assigned to one of two groups: Tai Chi (n= 49) and a wait-list control (n= 45).
Functional fitness and quality of life of elderly Lian Gong, Tai Chi, and Qigong practitioners
2020
BACKGROUND Long-term regular physical activity, such as body practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine, seems to be an important habit for maintaining the functional fitness, independence and quality of life of elderly individuals. However, scientific knowledge production concerning assessment of such practices, specifically for the elderly population, focusing on functional fitness and quality of life, is still modest. Moreover, there is a lack of studies with long-term follow-up and control groups. Therefore, this study aims to compare the parameters of functional fitness and the dimensions of quality of life of elderly participants and non-participants in the body practices of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Longer adherence time, shorter adherence time and control group have been considered. METHODS This is an observational epidemiological case-control study carried out with 118 elderly individuals (≥ 60 years). The case group was represented by 59 elderly people practicing the bo...
International journal of nursing studies, 2008
Studies support the positive effects that Tai Chi has on the physical health of older adults. However, many older adults residing in long-term care facilities feel too weak to practice traditional Tai Chi, and a more simplified style is preferred. To test the effects of a newly-developed, Simplified Tai-Chi Exercise Program (STEP) on the physical health of older adults who resided in long-term care facilities. A single group design with multiple time points: three pre-tests, one month apart; four post-tests at one month, two months, three months, and six months after intervention started. Two 300-400 bed veteran homes in Taiwan. The 51 male older adults were recruited through convenience sampling, and 41 of them completed six-month study. Inclusion criteria included: (1) aged 65 and over; (2) no previous training in Tai Chi; (3) cognitively alert and had a score of at least eight on the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire; (4) able to walk without assistance; and (5) had a Ba...
Tai Chi’s Effects on Health-Related Fitness of Low-Income Older Adults
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 2013
RÉSUMÉOn a démontré que le Tai Chi peut influer positivement sur la condition physique liée à la santé (CLPS) des participants âgés, en leur offrant un moyen d’accoître la force musculo-squelettique. L’objectif de cette étude était d’examiner les effets de l’intervention de Tai Chi sur la forme physique, et de découvrir si ethnies culturellement étrangères au Tai Chi constituaient un obstacle à la participation à un programme communautaire pour les aînés à faible revenu. Soixante-dix-huit aînés d’origine mixte (55 ans et plus), qui n’étaient pas culturellement affiliés au Tai Chi, ont été recrutés pour cette étude. Les mesures de la condition liée à la santé ont été prises avant et après un programme de Tai Chi d’une durée de 16 semaines, avec sept séances par semaine. Des améliorations significatives en résultaient dans l’aptitude supérieur et inférieur musculo-squelettique ainsi que dans la flexion partielle parmi ceux qui pratiquaient le Tai Chi. Ces résultats suggèrent que le Ta...
International Journal of Gerontology, 2012
Background: To investigate the effect of 3 months of Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) training on heart rate variability, blood lipids and cytokine production in elderly people. Methods: This was a longitudinal study with 3 months of follow-up. Participants were recruited from the community and divided randomly into two groups. The TCC trainees exercised the classical Yang's TCC for 40 minutes/session, seven times/week over a course of 3 months. Twenty-five TCC trainees (median age ¼ 57.0 years, range ¼ 50.0e67.0 years) and 25 control individuals (median age ¼ 53.0 years, range ¼ 46.5e58.5 years) were included in this study. Results: TCC training for 3 months significantly increased the fasting blood sugar (p < 0.001), ratio of forced expiratory volume in the first second to the forced vital capacity (FEV 1 /FVC) (p < 0.05), highdensity lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) (p < 0.05), tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) (p < 0.001), and interferon-g (IFN-g) (p < 0.001) in the TCC trainees. In contrast, the total cholesterol (TC) and the ratio of TC to HDL-C (TC/HDL-C) of the TCC trainees were all significantly decreased after 3 months of TCC training (p < 0.001). However, all heart rate variability (HRV) measures were not significantly changed after 3 months of TCC. Conclusion: Three months of TCC training can improve the pulmonary function, glucose availability and blood lipid profile, as well as increase the cytokine production, in middle-aged and elderly individuals. TCC may be beneficial to middle-aged and elderly people as a health-promoting calisthenics.