School of Nursing, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran.
Department of Persian Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Biomed Res Int. 2022 Jun 21;2022:9661939. doi: 10.1155/2022/9661939. eCollection 2022.
Constipation is a common digestive disorder in the elderly population, which has a considerable impact on various aspects of their lives. Traditional and complementary medicines are two common treatments for constipation. This study was aimed at comparing the effects of abdominal massage and oral administration of sweet almond oil on constipation and quality of life among elderly people.
In this single-blind study, 90 eligible elderly people were randomly selected according to ROME IV diagnostic criteria from October 2020 to May 2021 and were divided into three groups using block randomization ( = 30). In the oral consumption group, 126 ml sweet almond oil was administered during seven sessions held over two weeks (18 ml every other day). The abdominal massage group was provided with abdominal massage with the same amount of sweet almond oil during seven sessions in two weeks. Finally, the third group (i.e., the control group) received no interventions. Constipation was measured using the Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS) and the Stool Form (BSFS) at baseline and on the 15 day of the intervention. Patient Assessment of Constipation-Quality of Life (PAC-QOL) was also applied before and after the intervention (day 15). The data were entered in to the SPSS 22 software and were analyzed using chi-square -test, paired -test, independent -test, and ANOVA. ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
The results revealed a significant decrease in the CAS score in the oral consumption group (i.e., oral administration of sweet almond oil; from 7.81 ± 2.62 to 1.15 ± 1.08, < 0.0003) compared to the abdominal massage group (i.e., abdominal massage; from 8 ± 2.57 to 2.26 ± 1.81, < 0.0002) and the control group (from 7.73 ± 2.53 to 6 ± 2.74, < 0.0002). Additionally, the stool consistency score in BSFS was significantly higher in the oral consumption group in comparison to the two other groups ( < 0.0003) before and after the intervention. Furthermore, the quality of life score decreased more significantly in the oral consumption group (from 75.04 ± 7.66 to 28.15 ± 3.30, < 0.0003) than in the abdominal massage group (from 81.15 ± 5.15 to 43.26 ± 4.13, < 0.0001) and the control group (from 79.62 ± 4.76 to 62.31 ± 6.40, < 0.0008).
Since the oral administration of sweet almond oil and abdominal massage was highly influential in the participants' constipation scores and quality of life, these cost-effective methods with low complication rates are recommended to be used alongside other treatments in managing constipation among older adults.
便秘是老年人常见的消化系统疾病，对其生活的各个方面都有相当大的影响。传统医学和补充医学是治疗便秘的两种常见方法。本研究旨在比较腹部按摩和口服甜杏仁油对老年人便秘和生活质量的影响。
采用单盲法，根据罗马 IV 诊断标准，2020 年 10 月至 2021 年 5 月间从符合条件的 90 名老年人中随机选取，并采用区组随机化（n = 30）分为三组。口服组在两周内的 7 次就诊中服用 126ml 甜杏仁油（每隔一天 18ml）。腹部按摩组在两周内的 7 次就诊中用等量的甜杏仁油进行腹部按摩。最后一组（即对照组）不接受任何干预。在基线和干预第 15 天，使用便秘评估量表（Constipation Assessment Scale，CAS）和粪便形态（BSFS）来测量便秘。干预前（第 1 天）和干预后（第 15 天）也应用患者便秘生活质量问卷（Patient Assessment of Constipation-Quality of Life，PAC-QOL）。将数据录入 SPSS 22 软件，采用卡方检验、配对检验、独立检验和方差分析进行分析。 ≤ 0.05 被认为具有统计学意义。
结果显示，口服组（即口服甜杏仁油）的 CAS 评分显著降低（从 7.81 ± 2.62 降至 1.15 ± 1.08， ＜0.0003），与腹部按摩组（即腹部按摩；从 8 ± 2.57 降至 2.26 ± 1.81， ＜0.0002）和对照组（从 7.73 ± 2.53 降至 6 ± 2.74， ＜0.0002）相比。此外，在干预前后，口服组的 BSFS 粪便一致性评分明显高于其他两组（ ＜0.0003）。此外，口服组的生活质量评分下降更为显著（从 75.04 ± 7.66 降至 28.15 ± 3.30， ＜0.0003），明显低于腹部按摩组（从 81.15 ± 5.15 降至 43.26 ± 4.13， ＜0.0001）和对照组（从 79.62 ± 4.76 降至 62.31 ± 6.40， ＜0.0008）。
口服甜杏仁油和腹部按摩对参与者的便秘评分和生活质量有很大影响，这些具有成本效益、并发症发生率低的方法，建议与其他治疗方法联合用于老年人便秘的治疗。
