Table 1.
Baseline sociodemographic and clinical characteristics
| Characteristic* | Tai chi (N=61) | Education (N=31) |
| Age (mean, SD) | 68.6 (9.2) | 68.1 (6.7) |
| Male sex | 43 (71) | 18 (58) |
| Race | ||
| White | 48 (79) | 26 (84) |
| Black | 7 (12) | 4 (13) |
| Other | 6 (10) | 1 (3) |
| Annual income <US$35K | 37 (61) | 15 (48) |
| Married/living with partner | 20 (33) | 14 (45) |
| Unemployed/retired/disabled | 56 (92) | 27 (87) |
| FEV1 % predicted NHANES (mean±SD) | 57.8 (14.3) | 56.4 (13.0) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index (mean±SD) | 6.8 (2.5) | 6.4 (2.4) |
| GOLD stage (mean, SD) | 2.3 (0.6) | 2.4 (0.6) |
| Stage I–II | 45 (74) | 21 (68) |
| Stage III–IV | 16 (26) | 10 (32) |
| BODE index (mean, SD) | 2.8 (1.8) | 2.4 (1.1) |
| 0–2 | 27 (44) | 20 (65) |
| 3–4 | 23 (38) | 11 (36) |
| 5 or greater | 11 (18.0) | 0 (0) |
| Regular, daily oxygen use | 11 (18) | 4 (13) |
| Smoking pack-years (mean, SD) | 57.6 (38.2) | 50.4 (30.0) |
| Completed pulmonary rehabilitation | 12 (20) | 11 (36) |
| Comorbidities | ||
| CVD (CAD, angina, angioplasty, MI) | 23 (38) | 7 (23) |
| Heart failure | 7 (12) | 2 (7) |
| Cancer | 14 (23) | 5 (16) |
| Hypertension | 42 (69) | 18 (58) |
| Limitation of limb | 14 (23) | 5 (16) |
| OA, sciatica, chronic back pain | 31 (51) | 16 (52) |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 4 (7) | 0 (0) |
| Stroke or cerebrovascular disease | 7 (12) | 2 (7) |
| Connective tissue disease | 9 (15) | 3 (10) |
| Obstructive sleep apnea | 14 (23) | 6 (20) |
| CES-D (mean±SD) | 14.9 (11.7) | 8.7 (7.8) |
*N (%) unless otherwise noted.
BODE, Body Mass Index, Obstruction, Dyspnoea and Exercise; CAD, coronary artery disease; CES-D, Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression; CVD, cardiovascular disease; FEV, forced expiratory volume; GOLD, Global Obstructive Lung Disease; MI, myocardial infarction; NHANES, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; OA, osteoarthritis.;