Although an increasing number of African Americans 50 years of age and older practice Qigong, a mind-body exercise, to manage their health conditions, little is known about their perceptions and experiences of engaging in and learning Qigong exercise.
A study by Indiana University Bloomington, Eli Lilly & Co and Indiana University, Indianapolis, reported by Journal of integrative and complementary medicine in August 2023, aimed to explore the subjective perceptions of the health benefits, engagement, adherence, and learning of Qigong exercise in African Americans 45-85 years of age as a foundation for promoting this approach for African Americans’ physical and psychological health.
Fifteen African Americans were enrolled in a 1-hour Qigong exercise program twice a week for 8 weeks (a total of 16 sessions) in the activity center of a local church. Participants were interviewed after the intervention to explore their perceptions of learning and practicing Qigong exercise. Interviews were conducted in person, audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using content analysis.
Five themes emerged: (1) Perceived benefits of practicing Qigong, (2) helpful strategies for Qigong learning, (3) facilitators for home Qigong practice, (4) motivators for Qigong exercise adherence, and (5) recommending Qigong to others. Qigong exercise was perceived to be effective for balance, flexibility, muscle strength, sleep quality, emotion regulation, and stress management. Nearly 75% of participants reported home Qigong practice at least twice a week.
Middle-age and older African Americans’ responses provide insights on health benefits associated with practicing Qigong exercise, adherence, home practice, and learning, which may serve as the first step to promoting the use of Qigong exercise in this population and may be adopted to similar exercise interventions with minority older adults in the future.
I am an African-American student of Qigong since 1993 and certified teacher since 1994. I would like to connect with other African-Americans of any age and location to create a dialog and information sharing on the benefits of Qigong to African-Americans and our common life and health experiences. I am located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, so my access to African-Americans is very limited by the small numbers here. Mahalo!