Background/Purpose: To evaluate program adherence and whether the improvements seen after completing the Arthritis Foundation’s 8-week Tai Chi course remained for reduction of symptoms, increased function, and improved psychosocial status in participants with arthritis one year after program completion. 

Methods: At one year after the end of the intervention, individuals who completed the 8-week follow-up (n=144) were mailed a self-report questionnaire designed to assess continuation of the Tai Chi program as well as evaluate pain, fatigue and stiffness visual analog scales (VAS), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), general health, Rheumatology Attitudes Index (RAI, helplessness), and Arthritis self-efficacy (ASE) for pain and symptoms.  Participants also completed the PROMIS™ (PR) Short Form instruments for sleep disturbance and satisfaction with social roles. Regression analyses evaluated the change in scores from baseline assessment to 1-year follow-up, with adjustment for baseline score, age, gender, and BMI.

Results: The follow-up rate for the 1-year evaluation was 78% (n=113) and 31% reported that they continued participation in the Tai Chi Program (n=35) after completion of the 8-week follow up. Overall, those who participated in the Tai Chi program at baseline reported improvements in several self-reported health status measures one year after completion of the program. Modest improvements were seen for pain and stiffness VAS (effect size [ES] =0.30 and 0.25, respectively). Participants also reported statistically significant improvements for helplessness, pain impact and pain behavior (ES=0.23, 0.21, and 0.32, respectively). However, when comparing those who continued to practice Tai Chi at one year with those who did not, there were no statistically significant differences in improvements from baseline in self-reported measures for those who continued with the Tai Chi program except for helplessness (RAI, ES=0.49  vs.  ES=.11, p=0.03). The most frequently cited reasons for not continuing the Tai Chi program were that participants did not feel comfortable doing Tai Chi outside of a class setting (41%) and that there were no classes convenient to them (37%). 95% of participants said they would recommend the program to others

Conclusion: Participants in the AF Tai Chi program showed continued modest improvements in pain, and stiffness.  The HAQ measure of physical function did not indicate significant change; however those who continued practicing Tai Chi saw improvements in feelings of helplessness. While we did not observe sustained effects of the Tai Chi program, those who participated enjoyed the program and many did not continue with the program due to lack of availability in their area.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/arthritis-foundations-tai-chi-program-for-people-with-arthritis-one-year-follow-up/