A Remotely Delivered Tai Chi/Qigong Intervention for Older People Living With HIV

Launched by FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY · Sep 4, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking at whether a tai chi and qigong program can help reduce feelings of depression in older adults living with HIV. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a tai chi/qigong class or a health education class, both offered online for 12 weeks. The study aims to find out if the tai chi/qigong classes are more effective for improving mood than the health education classes, and whether the effects vary between men and women.

To be eligible for this study, participants must be between 50 to 75 years old, have been diagnosed with HIV, and report mild to moderate depressive symptoms. They also need access to reliable internet and a smartphone, and should not have prior experience with mind-body exercises like tai chi in the last year. Participants will attend classes twice a week, take part in interviews to share their experiences, and keep track of their practice at home. Additionally, some participants will take part in blood tests to help researchers understand the biological effects of the intervention.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• In order to be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:
• • 1. The ability to provide consent assessed by the GAIN Cognitive Impairment Scale
• • 2. Provision of signed and dated informed consent form
• • 3. Must be 50 - 75 years old.
• • 4. Must have been diagnosed with HIV by a healthcare professional (status confirmed at baseline by an uploaded picture of a recent lab report or medication bottle with name),
• • 5. Must have reliable internet access,
• • 6. Must have a smart phone
• • 7. No substantial experience (regular weekly practice for more than 3 months in the past 12 months) with mind-body interventions,
• • 8. Willing to participate for the length of the 12-week intervention and follow up assessments (a total of 12 months).
• • 9. Must report stable housing for the past 60 days and the next 60 days;
• • 10. Must have mild to moderate depressive symptoms (a score more than 5 but less than 19 on the PHQ-9 scale)
• • 11. Must speak and understand English
• Exclusion Criteria:
• An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:
• • 1. Reports high risk for suicide based on the CCSR screening tool.
• • 2. Has participated in a study on mental health in the last 12 months.
• • 3. Currently exercising at least 150 minutes a week