Sleep QualitySaguaro TaiChiNCT07757516
Virtual Tai Chi in Older University Workers
A study testing Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention. in people with Sleep Quality, run by University of Arizona at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This pilot, pragmatic behavioral intervention study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants aged 50+ were recruited from a university and assigned to immediate Tai Chi or a waitlist. Sessions were 3×/week for 6 weeks via Zoom. Some crossover occurred after assignment (partial randomization). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 50 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Sleep Quality
- What is being tested?
- Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention.
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 72 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 5 Oct 2020to 30 Jun 2021
- 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 50 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- University Workers 50+ years of age
- Consented to study
Who cannot join
- Did not express interest in Tai Chi intervention
- Did not consent to study
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona, 85724
About this study
Official title: COVID-19 and University Re-entry/Reopening Strategies-- Addressing the Needs of Older Adults Using a Mixed Methods Approach.
This pilot, pragmatic behavioral intervention study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants aged 50+ were recruited from a university and assigned to immediate Tai Chi or a waitlist. Sessions were 3×/week for 6 weeks via Zoom. Some crossover occurred after assignment (partial randomization). Outcomes at baseline, 6, and 12 weeks. Primary outcome: PSQI. Retrospectively registered due to pandemic conditions.
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether the Tai Chi intervention improves sleep quality in older adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Read more
Does the Tai Chi intervention change global and component PSQI scores, and does baseline mindfulness modify intervention effects?
What medical problems do participants have during the study time period?
Sleep disturbance, especially among older adults, is linked to declines in overall well-being. Tai Chi has been identified as a promising tool to improve sleep quality.
Participants will:
- Enroll in a 6-week virtual Tai Chi program taught over Zoom.
- Participants took three 50-minute classes every week and got recorded videos to practice on their own.
- Half of the Participants started the classes right away, while a "waitlist" group had to wait 6 weeks before getting their turn with the exact same program.
- What They Measured: The researchers tracked everyone's progress at the very start, at 6 weeks, and at 12 weeks. They specifically measured sleep quality (using a standard questionnaire called the PSQI) and examined how mindful participants were when they first joined.
Read the detailed description
Sleep disturbance is a significant public health issue among older adults and is linked to declines in overall well-being. Tai Chi has been identified as a promising low-cost nonpharmacological strategy for improving sleep quality. However, evidence on the effectiveness of short-term virtual Tai Chi interventions remains limited, despite their potential value for older adults who face barriers to in-person participation. This study evaluated a 6-week virtual Tai Chi program delivered via Zoom. Participants attended three 50-minute sessions per week, with course recordings provided to support additional practice. A waitlist group received the same intervention after the initial 6-week period. Recruitment occurred on a university campus. Seven participants switched groups after randomization, resulting in incomplete randomization. Data were collected at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire baseline data were assessed. The intention-to-treat approach was used in the main analyses, with pre-post comparisons serving as sensitivity analyses.
- Conditions
- Sleep Quality
- Being tested
- Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention.
- Keywords
- Tai Chi, Older Workers, Sleep
- Medical subject headings
- Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention.Behavioural
Also called Tai Chi, Qigong
The virtual Tai Chi and Qigong intervention consisted of three 50-minute sessions per week for six weeks, led by three trained instructors. The sessions were delivered live online using Zoom. Sessions were held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and each class included 1) 10 minutes of warm-up; 2) 5 minutes of meditation; 3) 30 minutes of Tai Chi and Qigong practice; 4) 5 minutes of cool-down and summary.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group | Experimental | Participants who receive the Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention immediately. Receives: Behavioral: Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention. |
| Waitlist Control | Active comparator | Participants who receive the Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention 6 weeks after the Interventional arm receives the intervention. Receives: Behavioral: Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
PSQI is a 19-item self-report questionnaire assessing sleep quality over the past month across seven components: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction. Each component is scored from 0 (no difficulty) to 3 (severe difficulty), yielding a global score range of 0 to 21. A global score >5 indicates poor sleep quality.
Measured: PSQI was collected at Baseline, 6-weeks, and 12 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted11 Aug 2026
- Study start5 Oct 2020
- Primary completion30 Mar 2021
- Study completion30 Jun 2021
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (3)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Sleep QualityStudies 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
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- The virtual Tai Chi and Qigong intervention consisted of three 50-minute sessions per week for six weeks, led by three trained instructors. The sessions were delivered live online using Zoom. Sessions were held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and each class included 1) 10 minutes of warm-up; 2) 5 minutes of meditation; 3) 30 minutes of Tai Chi and Qigong practice; 4) 5 minutes of cool-down and summary. The intervention videos of all live online sessions were available on D2L site. Participants were encouraged to attend the three live sessions, use recordings for additional practice, and attend make-up sessions if they missed the live sessions. Participants will be randomized into 2 groups: those who receive the intervention immediately and those who are randomized to a waitlist.
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 72 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Arizona
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Zhao Chen, PhD, Principal investigator, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07757516
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB ID# 2007860944
- Acronym
- Saguaro TaiChi
- Status last verified
- Jun 2026
- First submitted
- 10 Jul 2026
- Last updated
- 11 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: The data from this study cannot be publicly shared because it contains Protected Health Information (PHI). This includes sensitive, personally identifiable details that could compromise participant privacy if disclosed. Under health data privacy laws (such as HIPAA), researchers have a legal and ethical obligation to protect patient confidentiality. Because the dataset contains specific health metrics tied to individual participants, anonymizing it fully without destroying its scientific value is not possible. Therefore, the data must remain securely stored to ensure full compliance with privacy regulations and to safeguard the trust of the participants involved.
Publications
Lyu L, Li Y, Fan X, Seo J, Eunna O. The effect of Tai Chi exercise intervention on sleep quality in community residing older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Geriatr Med. 2024 Apr;15(2):381-396. doi: 10.1007/s41999-023-00923-6. Epub 2024 Jan 16.
PubMed 38227110Miner B, Kryger MH. Sleep in the Aging Population. Sleep Med Clin. 2020 Jun;15(2):311-318. doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2020.02.016.
PubMed 32386704Nguyen V, George T, Brewster GS. Insomnia in Older Adults. Curr Geriatr Rep. 2019 Dec;8(4):271-290. doi: 10.1007/s13670-019-00300-x. Epub 2019 Oct 22.
PubMed 33312842
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 11 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- COVID-19 and University Re-entry/Reopening Strategies-- Addressing the Needs of Older Adults Using a Mixed Methods Approach.
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07757516
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Saguaro TaiChi / IRB ID# 2007860944
- Conditions
- Sleep Quality
- Keywords
- Tai Chi, Older Workers, Sleep
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 72 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of ArizonaUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 5 Oct 2020 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Mar 2021 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Jun 2021 (actual)
- First posted
- 11 Aug 2026 (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.
This pilot, pragmatic behavioral intervention study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants aged 50+ were recruited from a university and assigned to immediate Tai Chi or a waitlist. Sessions were 3×/week for 6 weeks via Zoom. Some crossover occurred after assignment (partial randomization). Outcomes at baseline, 6, and 12 weeks. Primary outcome: PSQI. Retrospectively registered due to pandemic conditions.
The goal of this clinical trial is to determine whether the Tai Chi intervention improves sleep quality in older adults. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does the Tai Chi intervention change global and component PSQI scores, and does baseline mindfulness modify intervention effects?
What medical problems do participants have during the study time period?
Sleep disturbance, especially among older adults, is linked to declines in overall well-being. Tai Chi has been identified as a promising tool to improve sleep quality.
Participants will:
- Enroll in a 6-week virtual Tai Chi program taught over Zoom.
- Participants took three 50-minute classes every week and got recorded videos to practice on their own.
- Half of the Participants started the classes right away, while a "waitlist" group had to wait 6 weeks before getting their turn with the exact same program.
- What They Measured: The researchers tracked everyone's progress at the very start, at 6 weeks, and at 12 weeks. They specifically measured sleep quality (using a standard questionnaire called the PSQI) and examined how mindful participants were when they first joined.
Detailed description
Sleep disturbance is a significant public health issue among older adults and is linked to declines in overall well-being. Tai Chi has been identified as a promising low-cost nonpharmacological strategy for improving sleep quality. However, evidence on the effectiveness of short-term virtual Tai Chi interventions remains limited, despite their potential value for older adults who face barriers to in-person participation. This study evaluated a 6-week virtual Tai Chi program delivered via Zoom. Participants attended three 50-minute sessions per week, with course recordings provided to support additional practice. A waitlist group received the same intervention after the initial 6-week period. Recruitment occurred on a university campus. Seven participants switched groups after randomization, resulting in incomplete randomization. Data were collected at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire baseline data were assessed. The intention-to-treat approach was used in the main analyses, with pre-post comparisons serving as sensitivity analyses.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- The virtual Tai Chi and Qigong intervention consisted of three 50-minute sessions per week for six weeks, led by three trained instructors. The sessions were delivered live online using Zoom. Sessions were held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and each class included 1) 10 minutes of warm-up; 2) 5 minutes of meditation; 3) 30 minutes of Tai Chi and Qigong practice; 4) 5 minutes of cool-down and summary. The intervention videos of all live online sessions were available on D2L site. Participants were encouraged to attend the three live sessions, use recordings for additional practice, and attend make-up sessions if they missed the live sessions. Participants will be randomized into 2 groups: those who receive the intervention immediately and those who are randomized to a waitlist.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention.Participants who receive the Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention immediately. |
| Waitlist Control | Active comparator | Behavioral: Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention.Participants who receive the Tai Chi (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention 6 weeks after the Interventional arm receives the intervention. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 50 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- University Workers 50+ years of age
- Consented to study
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- Did not express interest in Tai Chi intervention
- Did not consent to study
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 (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention.Also: Tai Chi, QigongThe virtual Tai Chi and Qigong intervention consisted of three 50-minute sessions per week for six weeks, led by three trained instructors. The sessions were delivered live online using Zoom. Sessions were held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and each class included 1) 10 minutes of warm-up; 2) 5 minutes of meditation; 3) 30 minutes of Tai Chi and Qigong practice; 4) 5 minutes of cool-down and summary. | Behavioural | Intervention Group, Waitlist Control |
Primary outcome
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)
Time frame: PSQI was collected at Baseline, 6-weeks, and 12 weeks
PSQI is a 19-item self-report questionnaire assessing sleep quality over the past month across seven components: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction. Each component is scored from 0 (no difficulty) to 3 (severe difficulty), yielding a global score range of 0 to 21. A global score >5 indicates poor sleep quality.
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 11 Aug 2026.
- Background: PubMed 38227110Lyu L, Li Y, Fan X, Seo J, Eunna O. The effect of Tai Chi exercise intervention on sleep quality in community residing older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Geriatr Med. 2024 Apr;15(2):381-396. doi: 10.1007/s41999-023-00923-6. Epub 2024 Jan 16.
- Background: PubMed 32386704Miner B, Kryger MH. Sleep in the Aging Population. Sleep Med Clin. 2020 Jun;15(2):311-318. doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2020.02.016.
- Background: PubMed 33312842Nguyen V, George T, Brewster GS. Insomnia in Older Adults. Curr Geriatr Rep. 2019 Dec;8(4):271-290. doi: 10.1007/s13670-019-00300-x. Epub 2019 Oct 22.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. The data from this study cannot be publicly shared because it contains Protected Health Information (PHI). This includes sensitive, personally identifiable details that could compromise participant privacy if disclosed. Under health data privacy laws (such as HIPAA), researchers have a legal and ethical obligation to protect patient confidentiality. Because the dataset contains specific health metrics tied to individual participants, anonymizing it fully without destroying its scientific value is not possible. Therefore, the data must remain securely stored to ensure full compliance with privacy regulations and to safeguard the trust of the participants involved.
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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.
Zhao Chen, PhD principal investigator
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, The University of Arizona
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 (BaFa WuBu) / Qigong (Ba Duan Jing) intervention. in people with Sleep Quality, run by University of Arizona at 1 site in United States.
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 2 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 11 Aug 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 United States. 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?
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) (time frame: PSQI was collected at Baseline, 6-weeks, and 12 weeks). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07757516, which also lists 3 linked publications.
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 11 Aug 2026.