The effect of baby massage on weight gain in infants aged 2-12 months
Keywords:
Infant massage, weight gain, infant growthAbstract
Infant growth and development is an important aspect of the early phase of life. One of the main indicators of healthy growth is weight gain. Infant massage is believed to promote infant growth by stimulating blood circulation and the digestive system. However, its effectiveness on weight gain is still a matter of debate. This study used a pre-experiment design with a pretest-posttest approach to evaluate the effect of infant massage on weight gain of infants aged 2-12 months. The sample amounted to 30 infants who were selected using purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through weight observation sheets before and after treatment. Data were analyzed using Fisher Exact test. The majority of infants (80%) received regular infant massage, while the other 20% received irregular infant massage. A total of 73.3% of infants experienced weight gain, while 26.7% did not experience weight gain. Fisher Exact test results showed a p-value = 0.480 (p > 0.05), indicating that there was no significant association between the frequency of infant massage and weight gain. This result indicates that infant massage, whether done regularly or not, does not significantly affect the increase in infant weight. The difference in the results of previous studies can be caused by factors such as frequency, massage technique, nutritional intake, and the health condition of the baby. Although no significant association was found, education on proper infant massage techniques still needs to be improved so that parents can apply it optimally as part of infant care.
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