FrailtyAA projectNCT05629728
Tai Chi and Laughing Therapy for Improving Functions of Frail Older Adults
A study testing Tai Chi exercise and Laughing therapy in people with Frailty, run by Chungnam National University at 1 site in South Korea.
Trial summary
The goals of this study are to examine the physical function, cognitive function, and quality of life among frail elderly residing in the community Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 65 to 90 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Frailty
- What is being tested?
- Tai Chi exercise and Laughing therapy
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 150 participants
- Where
- 1 siteSouth Korea
- Study dates
- 1 Jul 2023to 5 Nov 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 65 to 90 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Older adult
Who may be able to join
- being frail (3 out of the following 5 criteria): feeling fatigued, difficulty climbing 10 stairs without help, difficulty walking 300m without help, more than 5 chronic illness, weight loss 5 % or more past 1-5 years
- living in the community
- able to participate in Tai Chi program twice a week
Who cannot join
- participated in any formal exercise program past 6 months
- not have transportation to come to the class
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Effect of Tai Chi and Laughing Therapy on Physical and Cognitive Function Among Frail Older Adults
The goals of this study are to examine the physical function, cognitive function, and quality of life among frail elderly residing in the community
Read the detailed description
This randomized clinical trial recruited 150 frail older adults, assigned to either the intervention groups (Tai Chi vs. Laughing therapy) or the wait-list control group. Tai Chi intervention provided to the Tai Chi group for 12 weeks with 12-week follow-up and pretest and posttest measures will be conducted. Laughing therapy intervention provided 10 weekly sessions for 12 weeks.
The primary outcome is the function variables (physical function of balance, flexibility, mobility; cognitive function of MOCA-K) The secondary outcome is quality of life measured by SF36, and healthy aging measured by healthy aging scale.
- Conditions
- Frailty
- Being tested
- Tai Chi exercise, Laughing therapy
- Keywords
- Tai Chi, frail, older adults, function
- Medical subject headings
- Frailty
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Tai Chi exerciseBehavioural
Sun-style Tai Chi (21 forms)
Laughing therapyBehavioural
10 sessions of laughing therapy by a certified instructor
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| social interaction based intervention | Experimental | Laughing therapy group received 10 sessions, weekly, 60 min per session led by a certified LT instructor Receives: Behavioral: Laughing therapy |
| frail elderly-WC | No intervention | control group received no intervention for 12 weeks, and will be provided the chance to participate in Tai Chi program if they choose. |
| Exercise based intervention | Experimental | Sun style Tai Chi program was provided twice per week, one hour per session for 12 weeks by a certified TC instructor Receives: Behavioral: Tai Chi exercise |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
physical function - balance
balance was assessed using a one-leg-standing balance test (OLST)
Measured: changes from pretest to 12 week posttest scores
physical function - flexibility
flexibility was assessed by the standard sit-and-reach test (SSRT)
Measured: changes from pretest to 12 week posttest scores
physical function - mobility
mobility was assessed by the Timed Up and Go test (TUG)
Measured: changes from pretest to 12 week posttest scores
cognitive function
MOCA-K (Korean version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment) was used with the maximum score of 30. (more than 23 is normal and less than 13 is dementia, more cognitively impaired)
Measured: changes from pretest to 12 week posttest scores
Secondary outcomes (1)
Short Form health survey 36 (SF36)
Short Form health survey 13 which consists of eight dimensions: general health, physical functioning, role physical, body pain, vitality, social functioning, role emotional, and mental health. two summary scores for the physical and mental components of health-related QoL are calculated by using the weighted means for the eight domains. Higher scores indicate better health-related QoL.
Measured: changes from pretest to 12 week posttest scores
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Nov 2022
- Study start1 Jul 2023
- Primary completion30 Oct 2025
- Study completion5 Nov 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for FrailtyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- the frail older adults recruited from the community, randomly assigned to either the experimental group (Exercise based intervention vs. laughing therapy intervention) or the wait-list control group.
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 150 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Chungnam National University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Research Foundation of Korea
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Rhayun Song, Chungnam National University
- Investigators
- Rhayun Song, PhD, Principal investigator, Chungnam National University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05629728
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- ChungnamNU4
- Acronym
- AA project
- Status last verified
- Jul 2026
- First submitted
- 12 Nov 2022
- Last updated
- 24 Jul 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: unidentified data or study protocol can be shared at the completion of publication
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 24 Jul 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effect of Tai Chi and Laughing Therapy on Physical and Cognitive Function Among Frail Older Adults
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05629728
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AA project / ChungnamNU4
- Conditions
- Frailty
- Keywords
- Tai Chi, frail, older adults, function
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 150 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Chungnam National UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Research Foundation of Korea
- Study start
- 1 Jul 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 5 Nov 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 29 Nov 2022 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goals of this study are to examine the physical function, cognitive function, and quality of life among frail elderly residing in the community
Detailed description
This randomized clinical trial recruited 150 frail older adults, assigned to either the intervention groups (Tai Chi vs. Laughing therapy) or the wait-list control group. Tai Chi intervention provided to the Tai Chi group for 12 weeks with 12-week follow-up and pretest and posttest measures will be conducted. Laughing therapy intervention provided 10 weekly sessions for 12 weeks.
The primary outcome is the function variables (physical function of balance, flexibility, mobility; cognitive function of MOCA-K) The secondary outcome is quality of life measured by SF36, and healthy aging measured by healthy aging scale.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- the frail older adults recruited from the community, randomly assigned to either the experimental group (Exercise based intervention vs. laughing therapy intervention) or the wait-list control group.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| social interaction based intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Laughing therapyLaughing therapy group received 10 sessions, weekly, 60 min per session led by a certified LT instructor |
| frail elderly-WC | No intervention | –control group received no intervention for 12 weeks, and will be provided the chance to participate in Tai Chi program if they choose. |
| Exercise based intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Tai Chi exerciseSun style Tai Chi program was provided twice per week, one hour per session for 12 weeks by a certified TC instructor |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 65 to 90 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- being frail (3 out of the following 5 criteria): feeling fatigued, difficulty climbing 10 stairs without help, difficulty walking 300m without help, more than 5 chronic illness, weight loss 5 % or more past 1-5 years
- living in the community
- able to participate in Tai Chi program twice a week
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- participated in any formal exercise program past 6 months
- not have transportation to come to the class
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Tai Chi exerciseSun-style Tai Chi (21 forms) | Behavioural | Exercise based intervention |
| Laughing therapy10 sessions of laughing therapy by a certified instructor | Behavioural | social interaction based intervention |
Primary outcome
physical function - balance
Time frame: changes from pretest to 12 week posttest scores
balance was assessed using a one-leg-standing balance test (OLST)
physical function - flexibility
Time frame: changes from pretest to 12 week posttest scores
flexibility was assessed by the standard sit-and-reach test (SSRT)
physical function - mobility
Time frame: changes from pretest to 12 week posttest scores
mobility was assessed by the Timed Up and Go test (TUG)
cognitive function
Time frame: changes from pretest to 12 week posttest scores
MOCA-K (Korean version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment) was used with the maximum score of 30. (more than 23 is normal and less than 13 is dementia, more cognitively impaired)
1 secondary outcome
Short Form health survey 36 (SF36)
Time frame: changes from pretest to 12 week posttest scores
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 24 Jul 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. unidentified data or study protocol can be shared at the completion of publication
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Rhayun Song, PhD principal investigator
Chungnam National University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Tai Chi exercise and Laughing therapy in people with Frailty, run by Chungnam National University at 1 site in South Korea.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in South Korea. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
physical function - balance (time frame: changes from pretest to 12 week posttest scores). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Jul 2026.