Author(s): T.F Gulhane

Abstract:
The present study aimed to examine the effects of water Tai Chi on health indicators, namely blood pressure, body composition, and lipid profile among Chinese older females in Hong Kong. A group of apparently healthy older females aged 65 to 80 years old was recruited from local community senior centers. They were randomly assigned into three groups, namely water Tai Chi group (WTC), land Tai Chi group (LTC), and sedentary control group (CON). Participants in WTC and LTC groups have received 8-week Tai Chi training with three sessions per week and 60 minutes per session. The participants in WTC performed their Tai Chi in a swimming pool with water in depth of 1.0m. The results found that there was no significant group difference after the 8-week Tai Chi training, which indicated that WTC and LTC have similar training effects on the health indicators after the 8-week training. However, trends for means of SBP in WTC and %BF in LTC showed significant decreases from pre-tests to post-tests (p < .05) respectively, which suggested a longer training period is necessary for confirming these trends in future studies.

Pages: 20-21  |  1818 Views  207 Downloads

Download Full Article: Click Here