Susan ZachariaE. Laurette TaylorCraig W. HoffordDanielle R. BrittainPaul W. Branscum2016-01-142016-03-302016-01-142016-03-302013-10-16Zacharia, S., Taylor, E. L., Hofford, C. W., Brittain, D. R., & Branscum, P. W. (2013). The Effect of an 8-Week Tai Chi Exercise Program on Physical Functional Performance in Middle-Aged Women. Journal of Applied Gerontology. doi: 10.1177/0733464813504491http://hdl.handle.net/11244/25112The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an 8-week Tai Chi Chih exercise program on physical functional performance (PFP) among women aged 45 to 65 years. A quasi-experimental design with a nonequivalent comparison group was used. Forty-one healthy inactive women were assigned to either an intervention group (n = 19) or a comparison group (n = 19). A 60-min Tai Chi Chih exercise class was conducted twice a week for 8 weeks. PFP was measured at baseline and postintervention using the Continuous Scale Physical Functional Performance–10 (CS-PFP 10). Between-group differences were analyzed using one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). After participating in the 8-week program, intervention group participants showed greater improvement in the CS-PFP measures (p < .05, η2 > .06). However, the comparison group had little changes. The findings from this study suggest that participation in an 8-week Tai Chi Chih exercise program can improve PFP in healthy, community-dwelling middle-aged women.en-USTai Chiexercisephysical functional performancewomenResearch Article10.1177/0733464813504491false