Effect of Acupressure on Blood Glucose And Anxiety in Elderly With Diabetes

This study is a prospective, interventional, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial designed to evaluate the effect of acupressure on blood glucose levels and anxiety in elderly individuals with diabetes. Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: an acupressure intervention group, a sham acupressure (placebo) group, or a control group receiving routine care.

Participants in the intervention group will receive acupressure applied to the HT7, SP6, and ST36 acupoints by a trained researcher. The intervention will be administered once daily for six sessions, with each session lasting approximately 15-20 minutes. The sham acupressure group will receive light pressure applied to non-acupoint areas near the same anatomical regions, while the control group will continue to receive routine clinical care without any additional intervention.

The primary outcome of the study is blood glucose level, assessed using fasting and postprandial capillary blood glucose measurements at baseline and at predefined time points during the intervention period. Secondary outcomes include anxiety levels, measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Outcome assessments will be conducted by assessors blinded to group allocation.

Prior to the main trial, a pilot study will be conducted to evaluate the feasibility of the intervention protocol and data collection procedures, and to estimate the effect size required for calculating the final sample size of the main study. Findings from the pilot study will be used to refine the intervention procedures and to determine the final sample size. Participants included in the pilot study will not be included in the main trial.

Inclusion criteria

• Voluntarily agreeing to participate in the study,
• Being 65 years of age or older,
• Having been diagnosed with diabetes for at least one year,
• Not having any hearing, speech, or vision impairments that would interfere with communication,
• Being able to speak and understand Turkish,
• Having a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of 23 or higher for literate participants and 19 or higher for illiterate participants,
• Not using any other complementary or supportive therapies during the study period,
• Receiving dietary treatment or oral antidiabetic medication for diabetes management,
• Having no skin irritation, ulceration, or other impairment of skin integrity at the application sites.

Exclusion criteria

• Initiation of a new medication with potential effects on blood glucose levels in addition to the current treatment during the study period,
• Use of insulin therapy for diabetes management.