Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Tai Chi | Group walking | Usual care |
| Subjects n | 36 | 18 | 37 |
| Age years | 69.6±7.5 | 66.9±6.7 | 70.5±9.2 |
| Male sex | 17 (47) | 9 (50) | 27 (73) |
| Race | |||
| White | 28 (78) | 12 (67) | 27 (73) |
| Black | 6 (17) | 3 (17) | 8 (22) |
| Other/unknown | 2 (6) | 3 (17) | 2 (6) |
| Annual income less than USD 35 000 | 16 (44) | 7 (39) | 15 (41) |
| Married or living with partner | 13 (36) | 8 (44) | 18 (49) |
| Unemployed, retired or disabled | 32 (89) | 16 (89) | 35 (95) |
| FEV1 % predicted | 48.1±17.9 | 50.8±24.6 | 45.7±17.7 |
| GOLD stage | |||
| Stage 1–2 | 16 (44) | 10 (56) | 13 (35) |
| Stage 3–4 | 20 (56) | 8 (44) | 24 (65) |
| BODE index | |||
| 0–2 | 13 (36) | 7 (39) | 14 (38) |
| 3–4 | 16 (44) | 4 (22) | 14 (38) |
| 5 or greater | 7 (19) | 7 (39) | 9 (24) |
| Regular oxygen use | 17 (47) | 7 (39) | 10 (27) |
| Smoking pack-years | 52±33.7 | 44.9±24.8 | 54±26.5 |
| Days since completing pulmonary rehabilitation, median (IQR) | 35 (99) | 62 (120) | 72 (126) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index | 7.3±2.5 | 6.7±2.8 | 6.4±2.4 |
| Comorbidities | |||
| Cardiovascular disease | 8 (22) | 4 (22) | 10 (27) |
| Heart failure | 6 (17) | 2 (11) | 7 (19) |
| Cancer | 13 (36) | 6 (33) | 9 (24) |
| Hypertension | 24 (67) | 10 (56) | 25 (68) |
| Limitation of limb# | 2 (6) | 3 (17) | 3 (8) |
| Osteoarthritis, sciatica or chronic back pain | 19 (53) | 11 (61) | 18 (49) |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 4 (11) | 4 (22) | 4 (11) |
| Stroke or cerebrovascular disease | 6 (17) | 0 | 4 (11) |
| 6-min walk test distance m | 324.7±123.4 | 365.3±105.6 | 369.7±104.7 |
| CES-D | 12.2±9.2 | 11.1±8.1 | 11.3±9.3 |
Data are presented as n (%) or mean±sd, unless otherwise stated. FEV1: forced expiratory volume in 1 s; GOLD: Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease; BODE: body mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnoea, exercise capacity; IQR: interquartile range; CES-D: Center of Epidemiology Studies–Depression Scale. #: paralysis or weakness.