THE EFFECT OF ACUPRESSURE THERAPY ON BLOOD PRESSURE REDUCTION IN HYPERTENSION PATIENTS IN THE WORKING AREA OF THE LOJI PUBLIC HEALTH CENTER, MAJALENGKA REGENCY

High blood pressure occurs when the pressure in the blood vessels is too high, with
systolic pressure > 140 mmHg and diastolic pressure > 90 mmHg. This condition
is a leading cause of premature death worldwide. Management of hypertension
includes both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches. Acupressure
therapy, a development from acupuncture, can reduce blood pressure. Stimulation
of acupressure points triggers the release of endorphins, which can reduce lactate
production, leading to a relaxed and comfortable state.
This study aims to determine the effect of acupressure therapy on the reduction of
high blood pressure in patients with hypertension.
The research uses a Quasi-Experimental design with a Pre-test – Post-test Without
Control approach, involving a Non-Probability Sampling method through
Purposive Sampling, including 94 elderly individuals with hypertension. Blood
pressure was measured using a sphygmomanometer and acupressure therapy was
administered according to Standard Operational Procedure (SOP). Data analysis
was performed using the Wilcoxon test due to non-normally distributed data.
The study results showed that the average systolic and diastolic blood pressure
before acupressure therapy was 156.62/103.64 mmHg, while after therapy it was
146.72/97.23 mmHg, demonstrating a significant reduction. The mean rank of
systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 47.50 before therapy, decreasing to 0.00
after therapy. The p-value of 0.001 < 0.05 indicates that this difference is
statistically significant, meaning that acupressure therapy has a significant effect on
lowering blood pressure in patients with hypertension in the Puskesmas Loji area.
Keywords: Hypertension, Acupressure therapy, Elderly.
References: 55 (2008 – 2024)