Heart disease is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the USA and is projected to significantly increase in developing countries within the next two decades. Among Chinese populations affluence and the adoption of a sedentary lifestyle has given rise to increased levels of heart disease. A five-year program of training and research is proposed that will study the efficacy of a Tai Chi intervention, as an alternative form of cardiac rehabilitation exercise training. Tai Chi is ideally suited for persons of all ages, regardless of previous exercise experience and aerobic capacity. The objective is to determine whether Tai Chi is as effective as the standard cardiac rehabilitation exercise training among Chinese adults and whether significant health benefits in physical and psychological outcomes can be documented. An experimental randomized two-group design is proposed. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the standard cardiac rehabilitation exercise training group (usual care), or the Tai Chi exercise training group. Data collection will include physical and psychological outcome measures, collected at both baseline and after completion of the intervention. Results of the study can help broaden the current method of exercise training to include Tai Chi, which is more cost-effective, as no special equipment is required and can easily be performed in a variety of community settings, either alone or in groups.
