The interrelationship between balance, Tai Chi and depression in Latino older adults.


Author: Siu KC1, Padilla C2, Rajaram SS3,4

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Physical Therapy Education, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984420 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA. kcsiu@unmc.edu.

<sup>2</sup>Intercultural Senior Center, 3010 R St, Omaha, NE, 68107, USA.

<sup>3</sup>Physical Therapy Education, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 984420 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.

<sup>4</sup>Health Promotion, Social & Behavioral Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 986075 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA.
Conference/Journal: Aging Clin Exp Res.
Date published: 2016 Jun 18
Other:
  Word Count: 159  
    Falls and associated injuries are the most serious medical problem affecting the functional independence among both White non-Hispanics and Latino older adults. Studies have shown the effectiveness of Tai Chi exercise in reducing falls but have primarily focused on White non-Hispanic older adults. There is limited research that examines the effectiveness of this exercise on balance among different racial/ethnic minority older adults. This study focused on the interrelationship between functional status (balance performance) and psychosocial status (depression) before and after a 12-week Tai Chi program among Latinos in a Midwestern metropolitan city. Results indicated that at baseline, prior to the start of the Tai Chi program, participants who were more depressed had poorer functional status. Participants who had higher depression at baseline, experienced greater improvement in functional status, following the 12-week Tai Chi exercise program, compared with those who had lower levels of depression.



KEYWORDS: Aging; Balance; Depression; Falls; Tai Chi



PMID: 27318946  [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]