UCLA Tai Chi in a Community Setting Study

August 17, 2016 updated by: University of California, Los Angeles

Tai Chi, Vitality and Activity in a Community Setting

Although a number of studies have examined the effects of Tai Chi in older adult populations, few have methodically assessed its effects on vitality, fatigue and physical activity. Some studies have shown that fatigue relates to negative mood and poor health-related quality of life in older persons.

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese form of calisthenics that utilizes the body's internal energy (chi), mind, and breathing; which may be a useful exercise for older adults in increasing their activity level. A twenty-four of Yang style of Tai Chi is a simple form of Tai Chi that is particularly well-suited for older adults. This proposed study to investigate the effects of a Tai Chi intervention on decreasing fatigue level, and increasing level of activity in healthy older adults.

The investigators research group has focused on the Tai Chi as a strategy to reduce stress and improve sleep, and their preliminary evidence suggest it strongly affects energy level and vitality. The investigators are focused on taking this intervention into the community testing its efficacy. The investigators preliminary data shows that Tai Chi is of benefit to older adults; however, this study will test whether their research findings are generalizable to community settings.

Tai Chi-naïve participants from Culver City Senior Center will receive a 10-week Tai Chi. The investigators will compare this group to a wait-list control group. All subjects will receive a packet of questionnaires of pre- and post-intervention vitality, fatigue and health-related quality of life. Subjects will also be given an activity monitor to wear for 2 days before they start the Tai Chi class and for 2 days after they complete the class, to determine if there is a change in general physical activity level.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

47

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
        • UCLA

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

60 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy
  • Older adult > 60 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Older adults who have severe osteoarthritis or chronic pain disorders
  • Non ambulatory
  • Any condition that would adversely impact their participation in Tai Chi

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Tai Chi
Tai Chi instruction, 2x week in a community senior center setting
Tai Chi classes, 60 minutes, 2x week
Other Names:
  • exercise
  • relaxation
No Intervention: Wait List Control
This is a wait list control group. There is no active or placebo intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Physical Activity
Time Frame: Immediately post-intervention (10 weeks)
Objectively assessed physical activity measured using accelerometers
Immediately post-intervention (10 weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Vitality
Time Frame: Immediately post-intervention (10 weeks)
Measures of fatigue, mood, perceived stress and vitality, administered via self-report
Immediately post-intervention (10 weeks)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Sarosh Motivala, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

January 1, 2010

Primary Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2011

Study Completion (Actual)

January 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 15, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 15, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

September 16, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

August 19, 2016

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 17, 2016

Last Verified

August 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • UCLA-TCC01

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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