title: Effects of tai chi chuan on anxiety and sleep quality in young adults: lessons from a randomized controlled feasibility study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine feasibility and estimate the effect of a 10-week tai chi chuan (TCC) intervention on anxiety and sleep quality in young adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five adults (18-40 years) from a predominately undergraduate midsized university.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an assessor blinded, randomized feasibility trial, and participants were randomized into one of three groups: 10 weeks of TCC meeting 2 times per week, 10 weeks of TCC with a DVD of the curriculum, and control group receiving a handout on anxiety management. Anxiety and sleep quality were assessed 4 times: baseline, 4 weeks, 10 weeks (immediate post-intervention), and 2 months post-intervention. Retention was defined as a participant attending the baseline assessment and at least one other assessment. Adherence to the intervention was set a priori as attendance at 80% of the TCC classes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eighty-five percent of participants were retained during the intervention and 70% completed the 2 month follow-up assessments. To increase statistical power, the two TCC groups were combined in the analyses of anxiety and sleep quality measures. No significant changes in anxiety were found in the control group, while levels of anxiety decreased significantly over time in the two TCC groups. Sleep quality scores improved across time for all three groups, but adherent TCC participants reported greater improvement than control participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TCC may be an effective nonpharmaceutical means of improving anxiety and poor sleep quality in young adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling.
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Caldwell
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Shawn M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Exercise Science.
authors.forename: Scott R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Collier
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Exercise Science.
authors.forename: N Travis
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Triplett
authors.affiliation: Department of Theatre and Dance.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Appalachian State University, Boone.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bergquist
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Carl F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Pieper
keywords: anxiety; feasibility study; randomized controlled trial; sleep quality; tai chi chuan