THE EFFECT OF INFANT MASSAGE ON INFANT WEIGHT GAIN AT MAHANUM CLINIC

Abstract

Infant massage is a method of massaging a baby using gentle, slow movements throughout their body, including the feet, stomach, chest, face, hands, and back. This massage is a form of stimulation. Tactile stimulation is the most important type of stimulation for a baby's growth and development. The sense of touch is the most developed sense from birth. Infant massage is also one of the simplest ways to improve a baby's health, which can be done at home. If left untreated, it can impair growth or lead to malnutrition. One way to address growth problems is through massage therapy. Massage therapy can stimulate the vagus nerve, increase levels of the enzymes gastrin and insulin. Increased levels of these two enzymes improve nutrient absorption, make babies feel hungry more quickly and increase their appetite, ultimately leading to weight gain. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of infant massage on infant weight gain. This study used a pre-experimental design with a one-group pretest-posttest design. The study was conducted at the Mahanum Clinic. The sample consisted of 20 infants aged 6 to 24 months. The sampling technique used was total sampling. The results showed that the average infant weight before massage was 4.00 kg with a standard deviation of 0.75, and the average infant weight after massage was 5.80 kg with a standard deviation of 0.78. The statistical test results showed a p-value of 0.001 (p < 0.05), indicating a significant increase in infant weight after massage.