Feasibility and Preliminary Effect of Baduanjin Program for People Diagnosed With Schizophrenia: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

This study was conducted in a large psychiatric center that has 10 residential rehabilitation units. Residents were allowed to walk for 20 min during 6-7 pm every day, and each unit could accommodate approximately 50 residents. In this study, patients on the schizophrenia spectrum were invited to receive screening for metabolic syndrome. A total of 108 patients agreed to undergo the screening, and forty-seven patients were confirmed to have metabolic syndrome. Patients with metabolic syndrome or BMIs > 25 kg/m2 were invited to participate in the research. In total, sixty-two patients satisfied the inclusion criteria, and 22 patients consented to participate in the experiment.

Each participant was assigned one number from 1 to 22 by the first author. The second author enrolled participants. They were randomized to either Baduanjin program group or routine care group in a 1:1 ratio using blocked randomization having a block size of 4 by the fourth author. Patients in the experimental group (EG) participated in the Baduanjin intervention in a privacy setting", which involved 60-min sessions 3 times per week, 1 h after dinner between 6 and 7 pm; the entire program continued for 12 weeks. The control group (CG) received routine care and was required to walk during 6-7 pm. The outcome indicators for this intervention program involved the risk factors for metabolic syndrome, BW, and BMI.

When schizophrenia becomes chronic, patients experience lack of motivation. This exercise program aimed to increase patient participation and control their BW through Baduanjin program. The entire program continued for 3 months (mid-September to mid-December 2014), and the intervention was performed for 60 min 3 times per week; particular attention was paid to the disease characteristics of the patients with chronic schizophrenia and to preventing excessive fatigue. Every session began with a 20-min warm-up, followed by 20 min of Baduanjin program, and ended with a cool-down session. The participants were instructed, with the assistance of a video, to practice Baduanjin program in a group by two authors who are experienced in the psychiatric nurses and had been trained in this program. While these participants practiced the Baduanjin program, the CG participants walked for 15-20 min in their wards.