OBJECTIVE:In recent years research investigating various health benefits of Taiji practice has markedly increased.Despite this growing scientific interest,essential questions such as to what extent a Taiji course may exert noticeable effects in participants’everyday life,what these effects are,and how and where potential transfer effects occur,have hardly been considered.The aim of our study was to explore transfer effects from a Taiji course into participants’daily lives.METHODS:We conducted a longitudinal observational study in 45 healthy participants at the end of their three-month Taiji beginner course(tp1)and at two months(tp2)as well as one year after course completion(tp3).Participants were asked to report their Taiji practice behavior at all time points,as well as to rate and describe perceived transfer effects of Taiji course contents on their daily life at tp1 and tp3.RESULTS:Transfer effects were reported by 91.1%of all respondents after course completion(tp1)and persisted in 73.3%at the one-year follow-up assessment(tp3),counting"increase of self-efficacy","improvement of stress management",and"increase of body awareness"as the most frequently mentioned effects.Transfer effects predominantly occurred in participants’work and social environments,as well as during everyday activities in public areas.While selfreliant Taiji practice frequency significantly decreased from 82.2%at tp1 to 55.6%at tp3(P0.08).CONCLUSION:Our data underline the importance of regular course participation for pronounced and long lasting transfer effects into participants’everyday life.We discuss that several context and process-related aspects of a Taiji intervention are potentially relevant factors for enhancement of transfer effect.
展开▼
