Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Self-foot Reflex Massage (SRM) programme on the physical condition and anxiety level of hypertension workers. The research was designed in the pre and post-test. Sample test was done in five workers with essential hypertension. They were divided in two groups:- Group A and Group B. The Self-foot Reflex Massage (SRM) was applied three times a week for Group A and five times a week for Group B. The SRM was given in 40 minutes each time for 4 weeks from the 1st of January to the 30th of April in 2001. In order to evaluate the effect on SRM, blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were measured as physical parameters and state trait anxiety inventory was used twice each time between before and after the exercise. The collected data was analysed by Mann-Whitney test with SPSS program. The results were as follows: 1. Average age for the subjects were 39.8 (ranged from thirty-two to fifty-three) and average period of hypertension history was 42 months (ranged from twenty to eighty-four). 2. There was no significant difference between two examined groups in blood pressure. But, there was a significant difference in SRM of pre and post-test for two groups. 3. There was no significant difference in blood cholesterol between two groups and between pre and post-test. 4. State trait anxiety showed significant difference between pre and post-test except the results between two groups. This result suggests that SRM is effective on the decrease of systolic and diastolic pressure and the relief of state trait anxiety except for the blood cholesterol. Therefore, blood cholesterol is needed further evaluation in large subjects and longer period. Further research is regarded as necessary to evaluate and to compare the precise effects of SRM on the foot reflex massage (FRM) in anxiety.