Effect of traditional Chinese medicine massage on physical and mental health of middle-aged and elderly women

ABSTRACT

This mixed-methods study examined the effects of traditional Chinese medicine massage on the physique, athletic performance, body composition, and perceived physical and mental health of 10 middle-aged and older women by using questionnaires and multiple measurement instruments. Microsoft Office and IBM SPSS 26.0 were used for the verification and calculation of results. Multivariate analysis was employed to analyze the data. Intermittent exercise significantly influenced the body composition, physical fitness, sports performance, and physical and mental health of female college students and improved their self-confidence, sleep quality, eating habits, weight, blood pressure, and sports performance, even when not accompanied with massage. However, although the rate of improvement was stable, intermittent exercise with traditional Chinese medicine massage yielded greater improvements in abdominal muscle strength and flexibility than intermittent exercise without traditional Chinese medicine massage. In terms of physical and mental health, headache, head pressure, back pain, and sense of loss were significantly alleviated (p < 0.01) in the traditional Chinese medicine massage group.

KEYWORDS:

• Chinese medicine massage
• middle-aged and elderly women
• intermittent exercise
• sports performance
• physical and mental health

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Acknowledgements

We thank all the volunteers who participated in the experiment and all the staff who assisted in data collection.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data sets used and/or analyzed in the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the school-level development plan (131/322E1860) of the Scientific Research Department of Jiaying University. The funding organizations had no role in the design or conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis or interpretation of the data; preparation, review or approval of the manuscript; or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

Notes on contributors

Hsiao-Hsien Lin

Hsiao-Hsien Lin graduated from the Department of Environmental Engineering of Dayeh University in Taiwan with a Ph.D. Currently, he is an adjunct associate professor and master tutor in the Leisure Industry Management Department of National Chin-Yi University of Technology in Taiwan. He has practical management experience in the fields of water cycle economy, sewage treatment, rural planning, tourism development, and industrial marketing. There is also a wealth of practical skills and experience in sports therapy and competitive training. The main research areas include leisure and sports management, urban and environmental sustainable development, public health management, imagery ability, natural medicine, sports mechanics, leisure psychology and behavior, and interdisciplinary research. He is an interdisciplinary scholar.

Chih-Chien Shen

Chih-Chien Shen received the Ed.D. degree in Sports Management from United States Sports Academy, Alabama, United States, in 2007. He is currently an Associate Professor with Institute of Physical Education and Health, Yulin Normal University. His research interests include Business Management and Accounting, Social Sciences, Energy, Environmental Science, Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, Physics and Astronomy and Mathematics.

Ying Ling

Ying Ling graduated from Shanghai University of Sport. She is currently an Associate Professor with School of General Education, Guangxi Vocational Technical College. Her research interests include Social Sciences, Energy, Sport Management, Physical education teaching, Physical training.

Chao-Yen Lin

Chao-Yen Lin graduated from the Shanghai Institute of Physical Education. After graduating with a Ph.D. in 2022, I am currently teaching at Jiaying University in Meizhou City. She research interests include Social Sciences, Sports training theory, Sports psychology and Sports Management.