Pengaruh Terapi Foot Massage terhadap Tekanan Darah pada Lansia Penderita Hipertensi

Background: Hypertension remains a leading noncommunicable disease among older adults, and simple, safe, community-based non-pharmacological nursing interventions are needed to complement antihypertensive medication. Objective: To examine the effect of foot massage therapy on systolic and diastolic blood pressure in older adults with hypertension. Methods: A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design was conducted at a community elderly integrated health post in Central Java, Indonesia, in April 2026. Thirty-six hypertensive older adults aged ≥60 years were recruited through total sampling and assigned to an intervention group (n = 18) or a control group (n = 18). The intervention group received foot massage based on a standard operating procedure for 15–20 minutes once daily for three consecutive days, while the control group received usual care. Blood pressure was measured with a sphygmomanometer before and after each session. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and the Mann–Whitney U test. Results: In the intervention group, mean systolic/diastolic blood pressure decreased from 169.5/104.2 to 148.3/90.6 mmHg (p < 0.001), whereas in the control group it increased from 169.8/101.4 to 182.2/107.7 mmHg. Changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure differed significantly between groups (p < 0.001), with a large effect size (r = 0.85–0.86). Conclusion: Foot massage effectively lowers blood pressure in older adults with hypertension and can be integrated by community nurses as a complementary intervention alongside pharmacological treatment.