Health Qigong engagement scale and wellbeing in 1,173 Chinese older practitioners
Researchers developed an 18-item Health Qigong Engagement Scale and, in a cross-sectional survey of 1,173 older practitioners in six Chinese cities, found greater engagement associated with higher resilience, perceived social support and psychological wellbeing. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The 18-item Health Qigong Engagement Scale, developed through interviews, expert review and reliability and validity tests, has three dimensions and showed satisfactory reliability and validity. [1]
In cross-sectional data from 1,173 older practitioners in six Chinese cities, greater engagement was associated with higher resilience, perceived social support and psychological wellbeing. [1]
The indirect association through resilience accounted for 27.97% of the total association between engagement and psychological wellbeing, and the engagement–resilience association was stronger at higher perceived social support. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Scale development plus cross-sectional survey (abstract)
- Population / context
- 1,173 older Health Qigong practitioners in six Chinese cities
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- September 23, 2026
Scale built from interviews and expert review
The authors note that China's population is aging and that no specific tool existed to assess how regularly, attentively and independently older adults engage in Health Qigong, a traditional Chinese mind-body exercise combining movement, breathing and mental focus. Guided by self-determination theory, they developed the Health Qigong Engagement Scale through interviews with older practitioners, expert review, and tests of reliability and validity. The resulting 18-item scale has three dimensions: continuous behavioral engagement, normative focused engagement and autonomous persistent engagement, and it showed satisfactory reliability and validity.
Supporting source [1]
Cross-sectional links to resilience and wellbeing
The analysis used data from 1,173 older Health Qigong practitioners in six Chinese cities and examined cross-sectional associations among engagement, resilience, perceived social support and psychological wellbeing. Greater engagement was associated with higher resilience, perceived social support and psychological wellbeing. The indirect association through resilience accounted for 27.97% of the total association between engagement and psychological wellbeing, and the association between engagement and resilience was stronger at higher levels of perceived social support.
Supporting source [1]
Abstract-only scope and association limits
The authors conclude that the scale offers a practical tool for assessing Health Qigong engagement among Chinese older adults and that resilience and perceived social support may help explain the link between engagement and wellbeing. Because the design was cross-sectional, the associations cannot establish direction or cause. The abstract does not report follow-up, response rates or how the six cities were selected. Only the abstract was reviewed; the full text was not reviewed.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. The design was cross-sectional, so associations do not show direction or cause. Follow-up, response rates and city selection are not reported in the abstract.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Liu J, Fan F. · europepmc.org · September 23, 2026