title: The combined effects of tai chi, resistance training, and diet on physical function and body composition in obese older women.
abstract: Obesity is a major health problem in the USA, especially in minority populations over the age of 60 years, and the aging process can cause adverse effects on physical function. Previous research has shown that Tai Chi, resistance training (RT), and diet result in overall health improvements. However, the combination of these specific interventions has yet to be translated to obese older women in an urban setting. The purpose of this study was to examine a combined intervention on the primary outcomes of physical function and body composition. Using a nonrandomized design, 26 obese women (65.2 ± 8.1 years) completed a 12-week intervention; participants were assigned to an intervention (EXD) group or a control (CON) group. The EXD group (n = 17) participated in Tai Chi, RT, and a dietary session. The CON group (n = 9) was asked to continue their normal lifestyle. Timed up and go (TUG) time was reduced by 0.64 ± 2.1 seconds (P = 0.04) in the EXD group while the CON group saw a borderline significant increase of 0.71 sec (P = 0.051). The combined intervention helped improve performance on TUG time, but there were no significant increases in other body composition or function measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Maris
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Quintanilla
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taetzsch
authors.affiliation: Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Picard
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Letendre
authors.affiliation: Department of Communicative Disorders, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mahler
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lofgren
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Delmonico