Tai chi participants with initial low levels of physical functioning tended to realize rapid and sustained progress toward higher functional levels, according to lead investigator Fuzhong Li, Ph.D., from the Oregon Research Institute. In addition, Li says, those "who reported low levels of health perceptions and high levels of depression [before taking the classes] tended to benefit more in terms of changes in physical function than those with higher perceptions of health and lower depression."
These latest findings on the benefits for adults over age 65 of the low-impact Chinese exercise appear in a special supplement to the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine focused on physical activity.
Li and colleagues reported in 2001 that older men and women who took twice-weekly tai chi classes reported significant improvements in their self-rated functional limitations in as little as three months. After six months, they were twice as likely a comparison group of wait-listed adults to report not being limited in their ability to perform moderate to vigorous activities. (See http://www.cfah.org/hbns/newsrelease/tai5-1-01.cfm for details.)
"It is important to determine which participants benefit most, least, or both from an intervention," Li comments, adding that this information "can be vital for developing programs more finely tailored for specific subgroups."
Li and his colleagues therefore re-analyzed their original data, taking additional participant characteristics into account.
Individuals who reported more physical limitations and were wait-listed tended to remain low functioning during the six-month study, the researchers found. Likewise, a
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Contact: Fuzhong Li, Ph.D
fuzhongl@ori.org
541-484-2123 x 2137
Center for the Advancement of Health
23-Jul-2002