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The effect of acupressure on constipation symptoms and quality of life among older people: a mixed-methods study

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate the effect of acupressure on constipation symptoms and quality of life in older people.

Methods

The study was a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled, qualitative and quantitative mixed-method study. Individuals in the acupressure group received acupressure for 21 min per day for a total of 12 sessions. The other group received sham acupressure for the same duration. Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS), Constipation Quality of Life Scale (PAC-QOL), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and individual follow-up form were used to evaluate quantitative data, and semi-structured interview form was used to evaluate qualitative data.

Results

A total of 81 participants were randomized to acupressure (n = 41, mean age: 70.56 ± 4.76, 70.7% female) or sham acupressure (n = 40, mean age: 71.17 ± 5.19, 67.5% female). Repeated measurements of the participants showed that CAS scores differed significantly between acupressure applications (p < 0.001). There were also statistically significant differences between the two groups in PAC-QOL and VAS after the application, number of defecations and laxative use (p < 0.001). Compared to the placebo group, the acupressure group had significantly lower mean post-test scores in all constipation rating scales. Qualitative findings from the study also support the quantitative findings.

Conclusion

For older people seeking evidence-based alternative therapy, acupressure may be a solution to reduce the constipation symptoms. Future studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our study findings.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05506397, 17 August 2022, retrospectively registered.

Key summary points

AbstractSection Aim

This study aims to evaluate the effect of acupressure on constipation symptoms and quality of life in older people.

AbstractSection Findings

It was observed that the constipation score of the acupressure group were significantly decreased and the difference between the two groups was significant.

AbstractSection Message

Acupressure is an effective non-pharmacological approach for the treatment of constipation.

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Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article. Further enquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the participants who participated in the study, the experts who provided oversight of acupressure practices, the biostatisticians who supported the data analysis, and the interviewers.

Funding

This study was supported by Erciyes University Scientific Research Projects Unit (Project code: TDK-2021-10858).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Services and Techniques, Department of First and Emergency Aid, Niğde Zübeyde Hanım Vocational School of Health Services, Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University, 51200, Niğde, Turkey

    Tuğba Aydemir

  2. Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey

    Sultan Taşcı

  3. Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Nigde Omer Halisdemir University, Nigde, Turkey

    Muhammet Bayraktar

  4. Traditional and Complementary Medicine Center, Health Ministry of Turkish Republic Kayseri City Hospital, Kayseri, Turkey

    Ali Saz

Authors
  1. Tuğba Aydemir
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  2. Sultan Taşcı
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  4. Ali Saz
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Contributions

Conceptualization, methodology, writing—review: TA, ST; editing, project administration, visualization: ST; formal analysis, visualization, supervision: TA, ST, MB, AS. The authors approve the content of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tuğba Aydemir.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

The study was conducted following the Declaration of Helsinki. In order to protect the human rights and dignity of the participants in the study, ethics committee approval was obtained from the Traditional and Complementary Medicine Clinical Research Ethics Committee (Decision No: 17, Date: 11.11.2020).

Informed consent

The purpose and method of the study were explained to older people, and their verbal and written informed consent was obtained.

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Aydemir, T., Taşcı, S., Bayraktar, M. et al. The effect of acupressure on constipation symptoms and quality of life among older people: a mixed-methods study. Eur Geriatr Med 14, 1135–1144 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-023-00842-6

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