DIFFERENCE OF STIMULATION OF MODERN MASSAGE AND CONVENTIONAL ON THE GROWTH OF INFANT

Abstract

Massage is very beneficial in optimizing baby's growth, by increasing the absorption of food so that the baby is hungry faster and the baby will suckle more often. This absorption can increase body weight, body length, and head circumference in infants. Massage is a non-pharmacological therapy to overcome growth problems in infants in the form of gentle relaxation techniques and rarely causes side effects. Midwives as health workers provide services that support babies from birth to 2 (two) years old by conducting early stimulation of growth. This study aims to analyze the effect of modern and conventional massage stimulation on body weight, body length, and head circumference of infants aged 3-6 months. Utilizing a two-group pretest-posttest control group design, this study was an experimental quantitative study. Primary data were collected through measurement of body length, body weight, and head circumference. The independent variable is the stimulation of massage, the dependent variable is Body Length, Body Weight, and Head Circumference, and the confounding variables are the baby's gender, mother's education, mother's employment status. The population in this study were mothers who had babies aged 3-6 months who were registered in two midwives' independent practices. The sample of this study was 140 infants under the age of two, divided into groups including the intervention and control group, each of which was 70 infants. The research sample was selected using non-probability sampling with purposive sampling technique. Post-test was conducted after 4 times of massage. The analytical test used was the Wilcoxon test. This study results that there were differences in modern and conventional massage on growth during pretest and posttest (p=0.000). The difference was found in infant body weight and length in both the intervention and control groups. However, the difference was not found in infant head circumference. Overall, the study is convincing that both massage facilitates growth through the massage given.