Effectiveness of a Tai chi Qigong program in promoting health-related quality of life and perceived social support in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease clients.

PURPOSE: This paper evaluates the effectiveness of a 3-month Tai chi Qigong (TCQ) program in promoting the psychosocial functional health of clients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Hong Kong. METHODS: This study employed a single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Two hundred and six COPD clients were randomly assigned into three groups, namely, TCQ group, exercise group, and control group. Subjects in the TCQ group received a TCQ program, consisting of two 60-min sessions each week for 3 months. Subjects in the exercise group were taught to practice breathing techniques combined with walking as an exercise. Subjects in the control group received their usual care. Data collections were performed at baseline, on the sixth week and on the third month. The primary outcomes were health-related quality of life using St. George Respiratory Questionnaire-Hong Kong Chinese version and perceived social support using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support-Chinese version. RESULTS: The TCQ group showed greater improvements in the symptom (F4, 404=3.351, P=0.010) and activity domains (F4, 404=2.611, P=0.035). No differences were detected in perceived social support among the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Tai chi Qigong promoted health outcomes with respect to clients' perception of their respiratory symptoms. Moreover, TCQ decreased disturbances to their physical activities.