Ergonomic Gymnastics and Aromatherapy: An Independent Blood Pressure Lowering Intervention

Abstract

Hypertension is a disease with a high prevalence of cases and can be life-threatening. Poor lifestyle is one of the factors that cause hypertension. Research shows that the combination of ergonomic exercises and aromatherapy can provide a synergistic effect in lowering blood pressure. Nursing self- intervention through ergonomic exercises and aromatherapy provides an opportunity for residents to play an active role in managing their blood pressure in a sustainable manner. This community service activity aims to increase teachers' understanding of the effectiveness of ergonomic exercises and aromatherapy as a nursing self-intervention exercise in lowering blood pressure in the community, as well as providing practical guidelines for implementation in the community. The partner in this activity is Lukmanul Hakeem School, Yala, Thailand. The target audience was all teachers at the school. The method used consists of the preparation stage, the implementation stage and the evaluation stage. The results of the service obtained the average pre-test score in the range of 33-67 with the dominance of scores 40-53. This shows that before the delivery of the material, the teacher's knowledge about the combination of ergonomic gymnastics and lemon aromatherapy is still classified as low-medium. After being given the material, the post-test results experienced a significant increase with a range of 67-100, and the average was higher than the pre-test. Almost all participants showed an increase in understanding, indicating that the delivery of the material was effective in improving teacher knowledge.