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

Effect of Acupressure on Blood Glucose And Anxiety in Elderly With Diabetes: A Three Arm, Parallel Group, Double Blind, A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study is designed to evaluate the effect of acupressure on blood glucose levels and anxiety in elderly individuals with diabetes. Participants will be assigned to an acupressure intervention group or a control group. The primary outcome of the study is blood glucose level, which will be assessed at baseline and at the end of the intervention period. Secondary outcomes include anxiety levels.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Diabetes Mellitus; Acupressure
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Acupressure; Other: Placebo Sham Acupressure; Other: Routine care

Detailed Description

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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 48
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Saadet CAN ÇİÇEK; Phone Number: +905062846936; Email: saadet.cancicek@ibu.edu.tr

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Bolu, Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Bolu abant Izzet Baysal University
    • Contact: Saadet Can Çiçek; Phone Number: +905062846936

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

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.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Acupressure Group; Participants assigned to this 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, in addition to routine clinical care.	Other: Acupressure; The acupressure intervention will be conducted in a designated room at the institution, once daily for 6 consecutive days, with each session lasting 15-20 minutes, totaling 6 sessions. During the first 3-5 minutes of each session, participants will be guided to the appropriate position and approached to ensure comfort. Acupressure will then be applied to a total of six points: both wrists (HT7) and both legs (ST36, SP6), with two points on each limb. Each of the six points will receive a 30-second preparation followed by 2 minutes of acupressure application
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Group; Participants assigned to this group will receive sham acupressure, consisting of light pressure applied to non-acupoint areas near the same anatomical regions as the intervention group. The sham procedure will be administered once daily for six sessions, with each session lasting approximately 15-20 minutes, in addition to routine clinical care. Pressure will be applied on the bone area where the meridians do not pass, parallel to the points where acupressure is applied to the sham points (approximately 1-1.5 cm away).	Other: Placebo Sham Acupressure; Participants in the placebo group will receive sham acupressure administered by the researcher in a quiet, designated room at the institution, once daily for 6 consecutive days, with each session lasting 15-20 minutes, totaling 6 sessions. Pressure will be applied to bony areas approximately 1.5-2 cm away from the HT7, SP6, and ST36 points, where no meridians pass. Prior to the application, the sham points will be gently warmed and massaged for approximately 20 seconds to reduce tissue sensitivity, preparing the area for the sham acupressure procedure. In the intervention group, evaluation will be made at the specified frequency, using the same measurement tools and the same measurement methods.
Other: Control Group (Routine Care); Participants assigned to this group will receive routine clinical care only and will not receive any additional intervention during the study period.	Other: Routine care; Participants will receive routine clinical care only and no additional intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Blood Glucose	Participant's blood glucose results will be evaluated by capillary blood glucose measurement after at least 8-10 hours of fasting and 2 hours after meals in a postprandial state. Measurement Process: Fasting blood sugar measurement: Fasting blood glucose will be evaluated before starting the application, after 3 sessions and 24 hours after the end of 6 sessions, after an 8-10 hour fast. Postprandial blood glucose measurement: Postprandial blood glucose levels will be assessed at the 2nd hour after the first bite of the meal. The first postprandial blood glucose assessment will take into account the first meal after the first session, the second assessment will take into account the first meal after the 3rd session, and the third assessment will take into account the postprandial blood glucose levels measured at the first meal after the 6th session.	Baseline to Day 6
Anxiety	Anxiety levels will be assessed using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is a validated self-report questionnaire used to assess anxiety. It consists of two distinct subscales: State Anxiety (STAI-S), which measures temporary anxiety related to the individual's current condition, and Trait Anxiety (STAI-T), which measures a person's general and long-term tendency to experience anxiety. Each subscale includes 20 items, with total scores ranging from 20 to 80. Higher scores indicate higher levels of anxiety, while lower scores indicate lower anxiety levels. Measurement Process: Before the intervention, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) will be administered. The Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory will be applied to the participants half an hour after the first session, before the sixth session, and half an hour after the completion of the sixth session to assess their current anxiety levels.	Baseline to Day 6

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Abant Izzet Baysal University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): January 24, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 24, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 27, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 11, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 11, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): January 21, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 24, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Elderly; Diabetes; Anxiety; Randomized Controlled Trial; Acupressure; Blood Glucose
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Endocrine System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Anxiety Disorders; Diabetes Mellitus; Therapeutics; Complementary Therapies; Physical Therapy Modalities; Rehabilitation; Therapy, Soft Tissue; Musculoskeletal Manipulations; Acupressure
• Other Study ID Numbers: BAIBU-SBF-YO-2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No