BLOOD PRESSURE CHANGES FOLLOWING LAUGHTER THERAPY AMONG OLDER ADULTS WITH HYPERTENSION IN CIBINGBIN, INDONESIA

Abstract

Hypertension is acommon health problem among older adults and requires both pharmacological and non-pharmacological management. Laughter therapy is a simple non-pharmacological intervention that may promote relaxation and influence cardiovascular responses. This study aimed to examine changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure following laughter therapy among older adults with hypertension in the working area of Cibingbin Community Health Center, Indonesia. A pre-experimental one grup pretest-posttest design was used involving 84 older adults with hypertension. Blood pressure was measured before and after the laughter therapy intervention using a manual sphygmomanometer. The mean systolic blood pressure decreased from 154.64 +14.56  mmHg to 95.18 + 10.66 mmHg. Wilcoxon signed-rank analysis showed statistically significant in systolic (p=0.011) and diastolic blood pressure (p=0.016). These findings indicate a statistically significant reduction in blood pressure following laughter therapy: however, the magnitude of the mean reduction was small. further controlled studies with standardized intervention protocols and longer follow-up are needed to determine its clinical effectivenes.