TABLE 3.
Primary and secondary outcome data over time
| Measure | Baseline (n = 27) | Midtreatment (n = 21) | Posttreatment (n = 20) | 4-week follow-up (n = 20) | Estimated changea | p-valuea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBS-SSS (1° measure) | 236 (21.9) | 193 (25.4) | 186 (22.0) | 169 (21.3) | −66.5 (26.2) | 0.01 |
| Secondary IBS survey measures | ||||||
| IBS-QOL | 90.6 (6.3) | 87.0 (6.9) | 81.0 (6.5) | 73.1 (5.7) | −17.5 (3.6) | <0.0001 |
| Visceral sensitivity index | 42.1 (3.5) | 42.4 (4.2) | 36.2 (4.0) | 37.3 (4.3) | −4.9 (4.2) | 0.25 |
| IBS-BRQ score | 92.6 (5.6) | 82.2 (5.8) | 82.8 (5.6) | −9.8 (5.0) | 0.05 | |
| GSRS score | ||||||
| Constipation | 4.0 (0.22) | 3.7 (0.31) | 3.3 (0.26) | −0.73 (0.31) | 0.02 | |
| Bloating | 4.1 (0.28) | 3.5 (0.29) | 3.2 (0.30) | −0.85 (0.33) | 0.01 | |
| Pain | 3.8 (0.23) | 3.3 (0.24) | 3.4 (0.24) | −0.44 (0.30) | 0.16 | |
| Diarrhea | 2.4 (0.25) | 2.2 (0.27) | 1.9 (0.24) | −0.51 (0.30) | 0.10 | |
| Satiety | 3.9 (0.31) | 3.2 (0.32) | 2.9 (0.29) | −1.0 (0.39) | 0.01 | |
| VAS scalesb | ||||||
| Abdominal discomfort | 4.3 (0.46) | 3.5 (0.65) | 3.2 (0.56) | 2.5 (0.50) | −1.8 (0.63) | 0.005 |
| Constipation | 3.4 (0.52) | 3.0 (0.60) | 3.3 (0.66) | 2.3 (0.44) | −1.1 (0.59) | 0.07 |
| Bloating | 5.0 (0.46) | 3.9 (0.60) | 4.1 (0.61) | 3.2 (0.67) | −1.8 (0.60) | 0.004 |
| Abdominal painc | 1.8 (0.16) | 1.5 (0.26) | 1.2 (0.22) | 1.5 (0.14) | −0.32 (0.20) | 0.12 |
| Physical measures | ||||||
| Weight, kg | 66.3 (2.8) | 65.9 (2.7) | 65.6 (2.8) | 65.7 (2.8) | −0.65 (0.30) | 0.03 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 23.5 (0.72) | 23.4 (0.70) | 23.3 (0.71) | 23.3 (0.72) | −0.20 (0.11) | 0.06 |
| Waist circumference, cm | 85.4 (2.2) | 82.8 (2.5) | 81.9 (2.4) | 79.3 (2.2) | −6.2 (1.9) | 0.002 |
| Leg strength, min | 102 (17) | 135 (20.1) | 155 (22.5) | 144 (23.9) | +38.8 (18.7) | 0.04 |
| Fear of food questionnaire score | 44.3 (4.1) | 39.7 (4.5) | 35.6 (4.3) | −8.7 (3.2) | 0.008 | |
| GI fears | 3.2 (0.23) | 2.9 (0.27) | 2.6 (0.26) | −0.61 (0.24) | 0.01 | |
| Food fears | 3.1 (0.24) | 2.5 (0.29) | 2.3 (0.32) | −0.76 (0.25) | 0.003 | |
| Food avoidance | 3.1 (0.27) | 3.2 (0.27) | 3.0 (0.30) | −0.18 (0.26) | 0.48 | |
| Social impairment | 1.4 (0.27) | 1.1 (0.22) | 0.67 (0.14) | −0.72 (0.22) | 0.002 | |
| Distress/loss of pleasure | 2.4 (0.34) | 2.3 (0.32) | 2.3 (0.32) | −0.16 (0.28) | 0.56 | |
| HADS score | ||||||
| Anxiety score | 9.7 (0.73) | 9.1 (0.95) | 9.1 (1.01) | 8.9 (1.1) | −0.79 (0.87) | 0.37 |
| Depression score | 5.4 (0.6) | 5.0 (0.71) | 5.0 (0.76) | 4.8 (0.76) | −0.59 (0.46) | 0.21 |
Note: Pretreatment: at first Tai Chi class (Day 0); Midtreatment: 4weeks into Tai Chi program (Day 28); Posttreatment: after last Tai Chi class (Day 49); Follow-up: 4weeks after completing program (Day 77).
Abbreviations: GSRS-IBS, Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale—IBS version; HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; IBS-SSS, IBS Symptom Severity Scale; IBS-QOL, IBS Quality of Life Scale; VAS, Visual Analog Scale.
Data are shown as estimated means (SE) from mixed model repeated measures analysis with unstructured covariance among the repeated measures to determine adjusted means for a measure at each study timepoint and whether there was a significant difference in measure over time from pretreatment to 4-week follow up Day 77.
Participants were asked to rate the severity of their constipation, bloating, or abdominal discomfort on a visual analog scale (VAS) scale from 0 to 10, 0 being no symptom and 10 being the worst severity.
The VAS asked participants to rate their average level of abdominal pain in the past week, 0 being the least amount of pain and 4 being the most amount of pain.