Author: Ting Liu1, Aileen Wai Kiu Chan1, Sek Ying Chair1
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Faculty of Medicine, The Nethersole School of Nursing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 8/F, Esther Lee Building, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong SAR, China.
Conference/Journal: Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs
Date published: 2022 Jan 11
Other:
Special Notes: doi: 10.1093/eurjcn/zvab126. , Word Count: 229
Aims:
Tai Chi is a promising exercise option in cardiac rehabilitation to manage coronary heart disease (CHD). Increasing attention was paid on home-based cardiac rehabilitation to improve participation rate, but no study has yet emphasized the effect of home-based Tai Chi. A single-blinded randomized controlled trial is used to examine the effects of a group- plus home-based Tai Chi program on functional health.
Methods and results:
Ninety-eight community-dwelling patients with CHD were randomly assigned to the Tai Chi and control groups. Participants in the Tai Chi group attended 6-week group- plus 6-week home-based Tai Chi program. Outcome measures included physical functions, cardiovascular risk factors, and exercise self-efficacy. Data were collected at baseline, 6-week, 12-week, and 24-week. Intervention effects were analysed using the generalized estimating equation model. Compared with changes in the control group, the intervention group achieved significant improvements in aerobic endurance, lower-body strength, agility and dynamic balance, diastolic blood pressure, and exercise self-efficacy over the 24-week study period (all Ps < 0.05). Intervention adherence was high (79.6% of participants attending >75% of all Tai Chi sessions).
Conclusions:
This Tai Chi program significantly improved the functional health of patients with CHD, indicating that Tai Chi could be taught in group sessions and then continued independently as a home exercise routine for health promotion.
Keywords: Coronary heart disease; Physical function; Randomized controlled trial; Risk factors; Self-efficacy; Tai Chi.
PMID: 35022661 DOI: 10.1093/eurjcn/zvab126