Research to date has indicated health-related benefits of Tai Chi for older adults including improved balance control (Tse & Bailey, 1991) and reduction in the incidence of falling (Wolf et al., 1996; Li, Fisher & Harmer, in press), improved cardiovascular fitness (Lan et al., 1998; Lan et al., 1999; Young et al., 1999), enhanced psychological well-being (Li et al., 2001a) and increased perceptions of self-efficacy (Li et al., 2001b; Li et al., in press), and physical function (Li et al., 2001c). Less is known, however, about the effects of Tai Chi on overall health-related quality of life (HRQL). Given that the most important long-term endpoint for any practical and therapeutic intervention is not just improved physical and psychological benefits for its participants but enhanced HRQL, research is needed to establish the quantitative relationships between Tai Chi exercise and HRQL in older adults.

However, only one study to date (Kutner et al., 1997) has examined the relationship between Tai Chi and HRQL measures defined by the generic Health Status Battery (Ware & Sherbourne, 1992. Also known as MOS SF-36). In a 15-week intervention program, Kutner et al. (1997) compared Tai Chi practice group with balance training and education groups and reported no significant differences between intervention groups or any differences over time in perceived health status assessed by the Health Status Battery. Given the relatively short training period (15 weeks) employed, these findings may not be surprising. Determining the long-term effects of Tai Chi interventions on HRQL is warranted.
The purpose of this study was to extend our knowledge of Tai Chi’s effects on HRQL by examining its influence on multidimensional health status using a well-established medical outcome measure: the General Health Survey (Stewart et al., 1988). These self-report health survey data, which have not been previously reported, reflect participants’ perceptions of their function and well-being. Specifically, we examined the effects of a 6-month Tai Chi intervention on physical-, role-, and social-functioning, bodily pain, mental health, and change in health perceptions. It was hypothesized that Tai Chi practice would enhance these HRQL measures and that these changes would be characterized by mean changes that differed between the experimental and control groups.
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Participants were community-dwelling older adults recruited from a rural city in the Willamette valley, Oregon. Full details of recruitment and randomization are described elsewhere (i.e., Li et al., 2001a; Li et al., 2001c). Briefly, a total of 148 individuals responded to local newspaper advertisements and flyers at senior centers seeking volunteer participation in a longitudinal physical activity study. Inclusion criteria were: (a) aged 65 years or above, (b) low active, defined as non-involvement in a regular exercise program in the month prior to participation in the study, (c) healthy to the degree that participation in an exercise program would not exacerbate any existing health condition, and (d) willingness to be randomly assigned to a treatment condition. To screen for prior physical activity level, each respondent was interviewed by telephone using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (Washburn et al., 1993).
Ninety-eight respondents (ranging from 65 to 96 years old (M age = 73.2 years, SD = 4.9), who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria and provided written informed consent before entry into the study, were randomized into the experimental conditions using a list of random numbers. Four individuals withdrew prior to the intervention. Of the remaining 94 qualified participants, 49 were assigned to the intervention group of Tai Chi practice (M age = 72.8, SD = 4.7) and 45 were assigned to a wait-list control group (M age = 72.7, SD = 5.7).