Evaluation of Energy Expenditure and Cardiovascular Health Effects From Tai Chi and Walking Exercise

NCT02163798 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: HHSRF 02030511
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 374
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) accounted for major mortality and morbidity rates in Hong Kong (HK) other than cancer. Increasing energy expenditure through regular exercise participation has been found to lower the risk of CVD such as hyperlipidemia and obesity. Healthcare professionals often prescribe lifestyle exercises for disease prevention, rehabilitation, and health maintenance purposes. Previous study revealed that Tai Chi and walking were widely practice by HK citizens. However, limited studies are found to compare the health benefits between Tai Chi and walking. Do Tai Chi and walking have equally effective in raising metabolic rate and reducing CVD risks? The difference in energy cost between a single bout of Tai Chi and walking has not been documented. Limited studies report the effects of Tai Chi in lowering the CVD risk. Since walking and Tai Chi are being heavily promoted in HK in recent years, there is an urgent need to document the evidence of these two common forms of exercise in terms of reducing CVD risks. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the energy costs as well as CV health benefits, in terms of aerobic fitness, body composition, blood pressure, and blood lipid profiles, from the walking and Tai Chi exercise in a sample of HK Chinese adults, and to compare the effects between these two exercises. The investigators hypothesized that Tai Chi and walking had similar effects on improving energy cost and reducing CVD risks.

Conditions

Physical Activity

Keywords

Tai Chi; Walking; Physical activity; Randomized controlled trial; Chinese population; Exercise; Body composition; Cardiovascular risk factor; Energy expenditure; Fitness; SF-12

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (4)

• Changes of aerobic fitness after intervention

  The aerobic fitness, in terms of maximal oxygen intake (VO2max in ml/min/kg), was measured at baseline (pre-intervention) and 3 months (post-intervention), respectively. The pre-intervention VO2max minus the post-intervention VO2max was the "Changes of aerobic fitness after intervention"

  Measures were done at two time points: baseline and 3 months

• Changes of resting VO2 (ml/min/kg) after intervention

  Resting VO2 (ml/min/kg) was an indicator of resting energy expenditure (REE) in our study. It was measured at baseline (pre-intervention) and 3 months (post-intervention), respectively. The pre-intervention REE-VO2 minus the post-intervention REE-VO2 was the "Changes of resting VO2 after intervention"

  Measures were done at two time points: baseline and 3 months

• Changes of body mass index (BMI) after intervention

  BMI was an indicator of body composition in our study. It was measured at baseline (pre-intervention) and 3 months (post-intervention), respectively. The pre-intervention BMI minus the post-intervention BMI was the "Changes of BMI after intervention"

  Measures were done at two time points: baseline and 3 months

• Changes of waist circumference (WC) after intervention

  WC was an indicator of body composition in our study. It was measured at baseline (pre-intervention) and 3 months (post-intervention), respectively. The pre-intervention WC minus the post-intervention WC was the "Changes of WC after intervention"

  Measures were done at two time points: baseline and 3 months

Secondary Outcomes (23)

• Changes of resting heart rate (HR in beats/min) after intervention

  Measures were done at two time points: baseline and 3 months

• Changes of resting kilocalorie expenditure (KCal in KCal/min) after intervention

  Measures were done at two time points: baseline and 3 months

• Changes of hip circumference (HC) after intervention

  Measures were done at two time points: baseline and 3 months

• Changes of waist hip ratio (WHR) after intervention

  Measures were done at two time points: baseline and 3 months

• Changes of body fat percentage after intervention

  Measures were done at two time points: baseline and 3 months

Study Arms (3)

Tai Chi Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group received a 12-week instructor-led Tai Chi training program.

Behavioral: 12-week instructor-led Tai Chi training program

Walking Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group received a 12-week instructor-led brisk walking training program.

Behavioral: 12-week instructor-led brisk walking training program

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Participants in the control group did not receive intervention during the 12 weeks, and were told that they would be provided two sessions of free health and fitness evaluation with an interval of three months (12 weeks).

Interventions

12-week instructor-led Tai Chi training program BEHAVIORAL

A 12-week (45 min per day, 5 days per week) instructor-led Tai Chi training program was conducted in the Tai Chi group. Of the 5 days of exercise, 3 days were led by qualified instructors, and 2 other days for self-practice. Each session consisted of a 10-min standard warm-up, 30-min of Tai Chi exercise, and 5-min cool down stretching. The modified 32 Yang-style Tai Chi Chuan was used, because it could be learned within a relatively short time, and has been widely promoted in HK community. An exercise log was used to record the actual implementation of the training (instructor-led \& self-practice).

Tai Chi Group

12-week instructor-led brisk walking training program BEHAVIORAL

A 12-week (45 min per day, 5 days per week) instructor-led brisk walking training program was conducted in the walking group. Of the 5 days of exercise, 3 days were led by qualified instructors, and 2 other days for self-practice. Each session consisted of a 10-min standard warm-up, 30-min of walking exercise, and 5-min cool down stretching. An exercise log was used to record the actual implementation of the training (instructor-led \& self-practice).

Walking Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 36 Years - 60 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• residents of large housing estates in the Shatin district
• physical inactivity
• no exercise habits

You may not qualify if:

• cardiovascular diseases
• pulmonary diseases
• neurological disorder
• musculoskeletal disorder

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Chinese University of Hong Kong: lead

Study Sites (1)

Chinese University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior

Study Officials

• Stanley Sai-Chuen Hui, EdD

  Chinese University of Hong Kong

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 10, 2014
• First Posted: June 16, 2014
• Study Start: January 1, 2005
• Primary Completion: August 1, 2006
• Study Completion: August 1, 2006
• Last Updated: August 20, 2014

Record last verified: 2014-08

Locations

HK (1)