The Effects of Tai Chi in Centrally Obese Adults with Depression Symptoms
Table 1
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the participants at baseline.
Characteristic
Tai Chi
Control
( = 106)
( = 107)
Mean (SD)
Mean (SD)
Age—years
52 (12)
53 (11)
Female sex—number of patients (%)
75 (70.8)
74 (69.2)
Higher school or higher education (number of patients) (%)
88 (83)
91 (85)
Employment—number of patients (%)
Paid work
50 (47.2)
52 (48.6)
No paid work
17 (16.0)
24 (22.4)
Unable to work due to sickness or injury
15 (14.2)
16 (15.0)
Retired or other
24 (22.6)
15 (14.0)
Medication—number of patients (%)
Depression
67 (63.2)
63 (58.9)
Anxiety
7 (6.6)
4 (3.7)
Sleep
8 (7.5)
11 (10.3)
Self-reported coexisting chronic conditions—number of patients (%)a,b
0
36 (35.6)
38 (35.5)
1
32 (31.7)
37 (34.6)
≥2
33 (32.7)
32 (29.9)
CES-D depression score
15.7 (5.5)
17.1 (4.9)
DASS depression score
18.4 (9.4)
20.2 (11.4)
DASS anxiety score
9.8 (7.6)
10.3 (8.0)
DASS stress score
18.5 (8.8)
19.1 (9.2)
Leg strength test (number of stands in 30 seconds)
16.3 (5.2)
15.3 (4.3)
Waist circumference (cm)
105.5 (11.4)
105.8 (3.9)
Body mass index (kg/m2)
34.8 (6.6)
35.1 (7.1)
Fasting blood glucose (mmol/L)
5.9 (1.7)
6.1 (1.7)
Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)
122.8 (15.1)
123.8 (15.1)
Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg)
78.4 (8.2)
78.2 (8.3)
Triglycerides (mmol/L)
1.6 (1.5)
1.4 (0.8)
HDL-cholesterol (mmol/L)
1.1 (0.3)
1.2 (0.3)
Physical activities (hours)
Moderate activities
4.3 (4.3)
5.3 (6.2)
Hard activities
0.5 (1.6)
0.5 (1.9)
Very hard activities
0.1 (0.6)
0.2 (0.7)
Conditions included arthritis or rheumatism, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and lung disease; the number of conditions per participant ranged from 0 to 6.
b5 participants missing. CES-D = Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale 10. DASS = Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21.
