Effects of Tai Chi Chuan and Gateball on Functional Fitness in Elderly Male: 2090

Background: The elderly need to maintain appropriate posture, balance and locomotion in order to pursuit daily activity safely and independently. Variety activities for elderly such as Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) and Gateball (GB) can improve functional fitness and health. PURPOSE: This study was to investigate the effects of TCC and GB on functional fitness, and to compare changes in functional fitness between these activities in elderly male. METHODS: Eighteen elderly male from the senior center located at Busan metropolitan area in South Korea volunteered at this study. Seven of them participated in TCC and eleven of them participated in GB. They worked out at the intensity of RPE 11-13, 3 days/week, 40-60 mins/day, for 12 weeks. Functional fitness including chair stand, arm curl, back scratch, chair sit-and-reach, 2.44m up-and-go, and 6-min walking were measured. Paired t-test and independent t-test were used to examine within and between group effects using SPSS program. The statistical significant level was p