A review of clinical trials of tai chi and qigong in older adults.

Full Abstract

Initiation and maintenance of physical activity (PA) in older adults is of increasing concern as the benefits of PA have been shown to improve physical functioning, mood, weight, and cardiovascular risk factors. Meditative movement forms of PA, such as tai chi and qigong (TC & QG), are holistic in nature and have increased in popularity over the past few decades. Several randomized controlled trials have evaluated TC & QG interventions from multiple perspectives, specifically targeting older adults. The purpose of this report is to synthesize intervention studies targeting TC & QG and identify the physical and psychological health outcomes shown to be associated with TC & QG in community dwelling adults older than 55. Based on specific inclusion criteria, 36 research reports with a total of 3,799 participants were included in this review. Five categories of study outcomes were identified, including falls and balance, physical function, cardiovascular disease, and psychological and additional disease-specific responses. Significant improvement in clusters of similar outcomes indicated interventions utilizing TC & QG may help older adults improve physical function and reduce blood pressure, fall risk, and depression and anxiety. Missing from the reviewed reports is a discussion of how spiritual exploration with meditative forms of PA, an important component of these movement activities, may contribute to successful aging.

Author information

Author/s: Rogers, Carol E (CE); Larkey, Linda K (LK); Keller, Colleen (C);

Affiliation: Arizona State University, USA. carol.rogers(-atsign-)asu.edu

Grants: F31NR010852 (Agency:NINR NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Review

Journal: Western journal of nursing research (West J Nurs Res), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Mar; vol 31 (issue 2) : pp 245-79

Dates: Created 2009/01/30; Completed 2009/06/02;

PMID: 19179544, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 6/2/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

This article has not been indexed for related articles as yet, however you can still use the live related article search links below.

See 100+ related articles.

See a large map of 100+ related articles.