Effects of auricular acupressure on blood pressure and stress responses in adults with prehypertension

Purpose: This study was done to examine the effects of auricular acupressure (AA) on blood pressure (BP) and stress responses in adults with prehypertension. Methods: This single-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study was conducted from September 2019 to February 2020. Participants were recruited through bulletin board notices in D city. The experimental group (n=27) received 8 weeks of AA intervention on specific acupoints (shenmen, kidney, heart, occiput, adrenal gland) to reduce blood pressure and stress, whereas the control group (n=25) received AA unspecific acupoints (helix 1-5). The outcomes were measured using BP, perceived stress scale (PSS), cortisol, and heart rate variability (HRV). Collected data were analyzed using Fisher's exact test, chi-square, Shapiro-Wilk normality test, paired t-test, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, repeated measures ANOVA and Friedman test with the SPSS/WIN 24.0. Results: Statistical differences were found between the groups for systolic BP (x2=85.64, p<.001), diastolic BP (x2=27.76, p=.001), PSS (F=9.439, p=.003), low frequency (F=5.22, p=.027), heart rate (F=3.208, p=.045), and HRV index (F=3.579, p=.035). Cortisol did not differ significantly between the experimental group and control group. Conclusion: The findings show that AA leads to improvements in BP and stress responses in adults with prehypertension. Therefore, AA can be used as an alternative nursing intervention for hypertension prevention and stress management.