Massage perceptions and attitudes of undergraduate pre-professional health sciences students: a cross-sectional survey in one U.S. university

Identifying behavioral determinants and stage of readiness for performing knee massage among individuals with knee osteoarthritis: An observational study

OBJECTIVE

Patients who experience knee osteoarthritis or chronic knee pain can alleviate their symptoms by performing self-knee massage. Understanding the readiness and types of determinants needed to facilitate self-knee massage is needed to design effective, theory-informed interventions. The primary objective of this study was to apply the transtheoretical model of behavior change to identify how factors, which include the type of knee condition and pain level, predict an individual's readiness to adopt self-knee massage. The secondary objective employed the capability, opportunity and motivation-behavior (COM-B) model to identify relevant determinants that are predictive of an individual's readiness to undertake self-knee massage.

METHODS

An observational study design was used to recruit individuals with knee osteoarthritis (n = 270) and chronic knee pain (n = 130). Participants completed an online survey that assessed the transtheoretical model of behavior change stages, COM-B determinants (capability, opportunity and motivation), along with self-administered massage behavior. Multivariate analysis of covariance and structural equation modeling were used to test the primary and secondary objective, respectively.

RESULTS

Participants who had knee osteoarthritis scored higher on the action stage compared to those with chronic pain (P = 0.003), and those who experienced greater level of pain scored higher in the contemplation (P < 0.001) and action phases (P < 0.001) of performing knee massage compared to those with milder pain. The COM-B structural equation model revealed self-administered knee massage to be predicted by capability (β = 0.31, P = 0.004) and motivation (β = 0.29, P < 0.001), but not opportunity (β = -0.10, P = 0.39). Pain level predicted motivation (β = 0.27, P < 0.001), but not capability (β = 0.09, P = 0.07) or opportunity (β = 0.01, P = 0.83). Tests for mediating effects found that determinants of COM-B (motivation and capability) mediate between pain level and self-administered massage behavior (β = 0.10, P = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

Clinicians and researchers can expect that patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis or who have chronic knee pain are ready (action stage) or are considering the behavior (contemplation stage) of self-knee massage. Individuals who report having knee osteoarthritis or chronic knee pain should be coached to develop the skills to perform self-knee massage and helped to develop the motivation to carry out the therapy. Please cite this article as: Nemati D, Munk N, Kaushal N. Identifying behavioral determinants and stage of readiness for performing knee massage among individuals with knee osteoarthritis: an observational study. J Integr Med. 2024; 22(1): 54-63.

International college students' perceptions on complementary and alternative medical practices

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to determine the complementary and alternative medicinal (CAM) choices of international college students in the U.S.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 192 international college students participated in this study.

METHODS

Participants completed a survey with demographic and background information, such as gender, age, years living in the U.S., country of origin, cultural and religious influences on health decision-making, CAM usage, and the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Beliefs Inventory (CAMBI).

RESULTS

Results showed that there was a significant difference in CAMBI scores and age groups with those in the age groups of 20-29 and 30+ having higher CAMBI scores than those in the 18-19 age group. Participants had high scores on the CAMBI.

CONCLUSION

Overall, participants showed a wide range of CAM usage with most participants indicating a need for CAM options on university campuses.

Is massage a legitimate part of nursing care? A qualitative study

INTRODUCTION

The use of massage therapy has received increased attention in the treatment of chronic pain. However, barriers can hinder its use in nursing care. This study uses a qualitative methodology to explore professionals' experiences regarding touch massage (TM) and identify barriers and facilitators for the implementation of this intervention.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study is part of a larger research program aimed at investigating the impact of TM on the experiences of patients with chronic pain hospitalized in two units of an internal medicine rehabilitation ward. Health care professionals (HCPs) were trained either to provide TM or to use of a massage-machine device according to their units. At the end of the trial, two focus groups were conducted with HCPs from each unit who took part in the training and agreed to discuss their experience: 10 caregivers from the TM group and 6 from the machine group. The focus group discussions were tape-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic content analysis.

RESULTS

Five themes emerged from thematic content analysis: perceived impact on patients, HCPs' affective and cognitive experiences, patient-professionals relationships, organizational tensions, and conceptual tensions. Overall, the HCPs reported better general outcomes with TM than with the machine. They described positive effects on patients, HCPs, and their relationships. Regarding interventions' implementation, the HCPs reported organizational barriers such as patients' case complexity, work overload, and lack of time. Conceptual barriers such as ambivalence around the legitimacy of TM in nursing care were reported. TM was often described as a pleasure care that was considered a complementary approach and was overlooked despite its perceived benefits.

CONCLUSION

Despite the perceived benefits of TM reported by the HCPs, ambivalence arose around the legitimacy of this intervention. This result emphasizes the importance of changing HCPs' attitudes regarding a given intervention to facilitate its implementation.