Journal List > J Korean Acad Nurs > v.46(2) > 1003153

Cha and Park: Effects of Auricular Acupressure on Obesity in Women with Abdominal Obesity

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of auricular acupressure on reducing obesity in adult women with abdominal obesity.

Methods

The study design was a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Participants were 58 women, aged 20 years or older, assigned to the experimental group (n=30) or control group (n=28). Auricular acupressure using vaccaria seeds was administered to the experimental group. The sessions continued for 8 weeks. Outcome measures included body weight, abdominal circumference, and body mass index, body fat mass, body fat percentage, triglyceride, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and serum glucose.

Results

Women in the experimental group showed significant decreases in body weight (t=6.19, p<.001), abdominal circumference (t=4.01, p<.001), and body mass index (t=2.58, p=.006) after 8 weeks compared with those in the control group.

Conclusion

Results show that auricular acupressure using vaccaria seeds was effective in decreasing body weight, abdominal circumference, body mass index, and triglyceride levels in adult women with abdominal obesity.

Figures and Tables

Figure 1

Auricular acupressure protocol.

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Table 1

Homogeneity Test of General Characteristics between the Two Groups (N=58)

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Exp.=Experimental group; Cont.=Control group.

Table 2

Homogeneity Test for Outcome Variables between the Two Groups (N=58)

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*Mann-Whitney U test; Waist cir.=Waist circumference; T.col.=Total cholesterol; Trig.=Triglyceride; BMI=Body mass index.

Table 3

Comparison and Difference of Anthropometric Indexes between the Experimental and Control Group (N=58)

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Waist cir.=Waist circumference; Exp.=Experimental group; Cont.=Control group; BMI=Body mass index.

Table 4

Comparison and Difference of Blood Indexes between the Experimental and Control Group (N=58)

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*Wilcoxon signed-rank test; Mann-Whitney U test; A=Abnormal; B=Borderline; N=Normal; T.col.=Total cholesterol; Trig.=Triglyceride; HDL-C=High density lipoprotein-cholesterol; LDL-C=Low density lipoprotein-cholesterol; Exp.=Experimental group; Cont.=Control group.

Notes

This article is based on part of the first author's doctoral dissertation from Ewha Womans University

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declared no conflict of interest.

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