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Virtual Tai Chi in Older University Workers

NCT07757516 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 72

Last updated 2026-08-11

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This pilot, pragmatic behavioral intervention study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants aged 50+ were recruited from a university and assigned to immediate Tai Chi or a waitlist. Sessions were 3×/week for 6 weeks via Zoom. Some crossover occurred after assignment (partial randomization). Outcomes at baseline, 6, and 12 weeks. Primary outcome: PSQI. Retrospectively registered due to pandemic conditions.

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether the Tai Chi intervention improves sleep quality in older adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does the Tai Chi intervention change global and component PSQI scores, and does baseline mindfulness modify intervention effects?

What medical problems do participants have during the study time period?

Sleep disturbance, especially among older adults, is linked to declines in overall well-being. Tai Chi has been identified as a promising tool to improve sleep quality.

Participants will:

* Enroll in a 6-week virtual Tai Chi program taught over Zoom.
* Participants took three 50-minute classes every week and got recorded videos to practice on their own.
* Half of the Participants started the classes right away, while a "waitlist" group had to wait 6 weeks before getting their turn with the exact same program.
* What They Measured: The researchers tracked everyone's progress at the very start, at 6 weeks, and at 12 weeks. They specifically measured sleep quality (using a standard questionnaire called the PSQI) and examined how mindful participants were when they first joined.

Conditions

  • Sleep Quality

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention.

The virtual Tai Chi and Qigong intervention consisted of three 50-minute sessions per week for six weeks, led by three trained instructors. The sessions were delivered live online using Zoom. Sessions were held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and each class included 1) 10 minutes of warm-up; 2) 5 minutes of meditation; 3) 30 minutes of Tai Chi and Qigong practice; 4) 5 minutes of cool-down and summary.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Arizona

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Zhao Chen, PhD · Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
50 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2020-10-05
Primary Completion
2021-03-30
Completion
2021-06-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07757516 on ClinicalTrials.gov