Effects of a T'ai Chi-Based Health Promotion Program on Metabolic Syndrome Markers, Health Behaviors, and Quality of Life in Middle-Aged Male Office Workers: A Randomized Trial.


Author: Choi YS1, Song R2, Ku BJ3

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>1 Department of Nursing, Daejeon Health Institute of Technology , Daejeon, South Korea .

<sup>2</sup>2 College of Nursing, Chungnam National University , Daejeon, South Korea .

<sup>3</sup>3 College of Medicine, Chungnam National University , Daejeon, South Korea .
Conference/Journal: J Altern Complement Med.
Date published: 2017 Jun 27
Other:
  Special Notes: doi: 10.1089/acm.2017.0057. [Epub ahead of print]   ,  Word Count: 241  
    OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of a t'ai chi-applied worksite health promotion program on metabolic syndrome markers, health behaviors, and quality of life in middle-aged male office workers at a high risk of metabolic syndrome.



DESIGN: A prospective randomized controlled study.



SETTING: Health center of a government office building in Korea.



SUBJECTS: Forty-three male office workers with two or more metabolic syndrome markers.



INTERVENTIONS: The office workers were randomly assigned either to an experimental group that received t'ai chi combined with health education twice weekly for 12 weeks, or to a control group that received health education only.



OUTCOME MEASURES: Blood sampling for metabolic syndrome markers and structured questionnaires for health behaviors and quality of life.



RESULTS: The experimental group showed significant reductions in systolic (t = -3.103, p = 0.003) and diastolic (t = -2.159, p = 0.037) blood pressures and the triglyceride level (t = -2.451, p = 0.019) compared with the control group. Those in the experimental group also performed health behaviors more frequently (t = 4.047, p < 0.001) and reported a significantly better quality of life (t = 3.193, p = 0.003) than those in the control group.



CONCLUSION: The study findings show that t'ai chi was an effective adjunctive intervention in a worksite health promotion program for middle-aged office workers at a high risk of metabolic syndrome. Future studies should examine the long-term effects of t'ai chi-applied worksite health promotion programs in individuals with confirmed metabolic syndrome.



KEYWORDS: health behaviors; metabolic syndrome; quality of life; risk management; t'ai chi



PMID: 28654312  DOI: 10.1089/acm.2017.0057