Effects of foot-massage in pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum on severity of nausea-vomiting and anxiety

Objective This study was conducted to determine the effects of foot massage performed on pregnant women with hyperemesis gravidarum on the severity of nausea and vomiting and pregnancy-related anxiety.Material and method This randomised controlled study was conducted between February and November 2020 with 104 pregnant women hospitalised in the pregnant women follow-up service ward of a public hospital in eastern Turkey with the diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarum. Data were obtained from the pregnant women who were given a ‘Personal Information Form’ and before and after each application by using the Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea (PUQE) Test and the Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Scale-Revision 2 (PRAQ-R2).Results Before foot massage, the pre-test mean PUQE total, PRAQR-2 total, and PRAQR2 fear of childbirth and concerns about physical appearance dimension scores of the participants in the experimental and control groups were similar (p > 0.05), It was determined that the PRAQR2 fear of having a disabled child control group had significantly higher pre-test scores compared to the massage group (p < 0.05). After foot massage, the severity of nausea and vomiting was significantly lower in the participants in the experimental group compared to those in the control group (p < 0.001). Additionally, the mean PRAQR2 total and dimension scores of the participants in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05).Conclusion These findings support the use of the foot massage is an effective intervention in reducing the severity of nausea and vomiting and pregnancy-related anxiety.