Effects of Qigong Exercise on Physical and Psychological Health among African Americans.
Pei-Shiun Chang, Yvonne Lu, Chi Mai Nguyen and 4 others
PMID 32942949WHAT IT FOUND
15 African American adults completed an eight-week group Qigong program that included home video practice, breathing, meditation, and music.
Some chair-stand and physical function scores improved, but with no control group improvement cannot be attributed to any part.
Key findings
0115 participants completed the 8-week follow-up assessment, and they attended an average of 10 of 16 Qigong sessions.
02Repeat chair stands, physical mobility, and PROMIS physical function improved significantly, but the 6-minute walk test, fast gait speed, SPPB total score, and SF-36 physical component did not reach significance.
03Depression and anxiety scores did not change significantly, but spiritual well-being and resilience increased significantly.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study had no control group, so change over time, practice, or group participation cannot be separated from the intervention. Only 15 participants were analyzed, and the study was a pilot. Some outcomes relied on self-report, including spiritual well-being, depression, anxiety, and physical function. Participants were recruited from a church and were all church members, which may limit generalizability and may influence spiritual well-being results. Attendance varied widely, from 25% to 93.8%, and average attendance was 10 of 16 sessions. Baseline depression scores were far below the cutoff of 8. No data collection quality assurance was in place due to the limited budget. Seven missing data were excluded from data analysis.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that Qigong caused the improvements. The study had no control group, only 15 participants were analyzed, and the program included group classes, home video practice, breathing, meditation, music, and social support, so the effect of any single component cannot be separated.