Comparison the Effect of Golghand and Foot Reflexology on Constipation in Elderlies

Objective: Constipation is one of the most common problems of the elderly, causing many complications and high costs for these individuals and affecting their quality of life. This study aimed to compare the effect of Golghand (a pharmaceutical composition of roses and honey) and foot reflexology on constipation in the elderly.

Methods: This clinical trial was conducted on 60 elderly people with constipation in 2017. Subjects were selected through simple and purposive sampling and were randomly allocated to Golghand and foot reflexology groups by permuted block method. The foot reflexology was carried out in the specific area of constipation twice a day and each time for 15 minutes for two weeks. Golghand group received Golghand half an hour before lunch (one teaspoon of Golghand in one cup of cooled boiled water). Constipation assessment scale was filled for the subjects before and at the end of the intervention by an evaluator, who was unaware of the intervention approaches of the groups. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 20 using statistical tests of Chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, Mann-Whitney U, and Friedman test at the significance level of <0.05.

Results: In this research, mean age of the participants was 66±8.66 years. According to the results of Mann-Whitney U, no significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of the frequency of bowel movements on the first day after intervention (P=0.246). However, on days 2-14 after the intervention, a significant difference was observed between the study groups in this regard (P<0.05). Similarly, results of the Friedman test were indicative of a significant difference between the two groups regarding the frequency of bowel movements (P<0.001), in a way, that after the passing of the mean period, the number of bowel movements increased in both groups. However, this increase was higher in the Golghand group, compared to the foot reflexology group (P<0.001). Moreover, independent t-test demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the groups regarding mean intensity of constipation (P=0.01).

Conclusion: Consumption of Golghand increased the frequency of bowel movements and reduced the intensity of constipation in elderly individuals. This method had greater impacts on constipation, compared to the foot reflexology technique.