Objectives: This study aims to investigate and discuss on the effects of Tai Chi exercise on knee flexibility, lower limb muscle control, fall risk prevention and self-efficacy for elderly males living in severe cold areas .Methods: In the experiments, 36 healthy elderly males, who were aged between 65 to 70 and from Kuancheng District, Changchun City, Jilin Province, Northeast China, were selected and randomly divided into experimental group and control group:during the eight-week experiment, subjects in the experimental group exercised Tai Chi, with 4 times a week, and duration of 45 minutes for one section. The researcher evaluated subjects’ knee flexibility, lower limb muscle control, fall risk prevention, and self-efficacy before and after 8 weeks of Tai Chi exercise intervention. Also, Five Times Sit to Stand Test, 6-min Walk Test and Romberg’s Test were launched for the subjects. In addition, to assess self-efficacy of all subjects, the researcher adopted General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES) and Time-based Performance Efficacy Scale.Results: Through experimental data analysis achieved by Two-way Repeated-measures ANOVA and Matched Samples T-test, it was figured that thanks to 8-week exercise intervention, subjects in Tai Chi group got significantly enhanced in terms of knee flexibility, muscles of lower limb control and dynamic balance, with strengthened GSES scores.Conclusion: The 8-week Tai Chi exercise possessed functions of effectively improving the knee joint flexibility and lower limb muscle control of the elderly males in severe cold areas, strengthening their self-efficacy, as well as preventing and controlling the fall risks. 

Zhaoran Wang, Seung-Soo Baek. Effect of the Eight-week Tai Chi Exercise on Knee Flexibility, Lower Limb Muscle Control, Fall Risk Prevention and Self-efficacy of Elderly Males in Severe Cold Areas. Frontiers in Sport Research (2022) Vol. 4, Issue 2: 41-51. https://doi.org/10.25236/FSR.2022.040209.

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