Table 1. Baseline characteristics.
| Observational groups | Randomized groups | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tai Chi experts (n = 26) | Tai Chi naives (n = 49) | Usual care (n = 26) | Tai Chi (n = 23) | ||
| Age | 62.96 ± 7.66 | 64.61 ± 7.58 | 64.92 ± 7.55 | 64.26 ± 7.77 | |
| Gender | Male | 12 (46.2%) | 16 (32.7%) | 8 (30.7%) | 8 (34.8%) |
| Female | 14 (53.8%) | 33 (67.3%) | 18 (69.3%) | 15 (65.2%) | |
| BMI | 22.89 ± 2.35 | 26.21 ± 5.34 | 26.51 ± 5.93 | 25.86 ± 4.68 | |
| Physical activity level a | 5.73 ± 2.03 | 4.35 ± 2.28 | 4.08 ± 2.33 | 4.65 ± 2.23 | |
| Education (years) | 18.46 ± 3.41 | 16.73 ± 2.92 | 16.22 ± 3.06 | 17.32 ± 2.73 | |
| Mini mental state exam (MMSE) | 29.03 ± 1.11 | 29.12 ± 1.07 | 29.15 ± 0.83 | 29.09 ± 1.31 | |
| Executive function Z-score b | 0.034 ± 0.19 | -0.018 ± 0.21 | - | - | |
| Exposure to Tai-Chi hours (% of subjects) | |||||
| Compliant subjects c | - | - | - | 89 (65%) | |
| Non-compliant subjects c | - | - | - | 45 (35%) | |
Unless otherwise noted values are provided as mean ± standard deviation.
a 4 = Run about 1 mile/week OR walk about 1.3 miles/week OR spend about 30 min/week in comparable physical activity; 5 = Run about 1 to 5 miles per week OR walk 1.3 to 6 miles per week OR spend 30 to 60 minutes per week in comparable physical activity; 6 = run about 6–10 miles/week OR walk 7–13 miles/week OR spend 1–3h/week in comparable physical activity.
b Executive function Z-score was calculated from the ratio of the standardized Trail Making and COWAT tests. More specifically the ratio of Trail Making B to Trail Making A and Category Fluency were used to generate an Executive function Z-score.
c Participants that attended a minimum of 70% of all classes (two 1 hour classes per week) and completed 70% or more of prescribed home practice (two 30 minute sessions per week) were considered compliant.