Advancing health promotion through massage therapy practice: A cross-sectional survey study

Abstract

The human resources needed to provide health promotion services to improve health behaviors in populations are currently limited. Health promotion and education is included in the definition of massage therapy, and many within the massage therapy profession understand that health promotion and education are a part of massage therapy practice. However, the amounts and types of health promotion activities in massage therapy practice have not been thoroughly explored. The objective of this study was to investigate the current attitudes, practices, and barriers toward providing health promotion in a national sample of practicing massage therapists. A descriptive cross-sectional survey disseminated May to August 2016 to practicing massage therapists in the United States. The majority (90.2%) of the 182 participants agree or strongly agree that it is important for massage therapists to provide health promotion. Therapists with less favorable attitudes about providing health promotion reported more barriers to providing the messages to their patients. Barriers to providing health promotion included a lack of guidelines, knowledge, and skills. Training and guidelines for massage therapists regarding health promotion would be a reasonable next step for future research development. Utilizing massage therapists as health promoters may provide opportunities to deliver more prevention messages to patients which may impact public health.

Massage Therapy: A Person-Centred Approach to Chronic Pain

“…When local licensing and scope of practice allows it, exercise may be included as part of a treatment plan to help patients actively manage their pain. ( 69 , 70 )…”

Success factors of health promotion: Evaluation by DEMATEL and M-DEMATEL methods — A case study in a non-profit organization

“…Maijala et al [ 30 ], Zahner et al [ 37 ] and Kun et al [ 38 ] examined the influence of budget. Cramm et al [ 31 ], Kholifah et al [ 39 ], Jones et al [ 40 ], Darlington et al [ 41 ] and Kennedy et al [ 42 ] investigated the importance of self-efficiency. Chen and Lee [ 10 ], Stone et al [ 43 ] and Aziato et al [ 44 ] and recommended leadership as the most important factor of implementing health promotion.…”

Practice-Based Research Networks and Massage Therapy: a Scoping Review

“…(25,37,38,41,45,55) MNO-PBRN has published five works. (28,30,31,36,46) MassageNet (32,44,56,57) and the Australian Chiropractic Research Network (ACORN) (33,34,40,47) have each published four works. The Kentucky Ambulatory Network (KAN) (39,58,59) and the Population Based Palliative Care Research Network (PoPCRN) (23,60,61) have each published three articles.…”

“…(11, ZABEL: SCOPING REVIEW OF PBRNS AND MT and one was a repeated measures cohort study. (39) The remainder were reported as using survey format, with cross-sectional (n=14), (24,27,(33)(34)(35)(36)40,41,44,47,48,54,56,57) observational (n=6), (30,46,49,50,52,53) or descriptive (n=6) (32,37,38,42,45,51) study designs. Ten articles were written in narrative format (and thus not categorized as studies) discussed some aspect of a PBRN study with MT or the need for more MT research through PBRNs (n=10).…”

“…The two PBRNs that specifically work in MT research, MassageNet and MNO-PBRN, have produced a handful of studies each. (28,(30)(31)(32)36,44,46,56,57) PRACI has not yet published any studies that involve the application of MT, but their website states that a comparative effectiveness study using MT is currently being performed. (15) Article Type T h re e g e n e r a l a r t i c l e c a te g o r i e s emerged f rom the scoping review and are arranged in Table 2: commentary or education-focused, (11,23,25,26,29,43,55,58,61) oral presentation or poster presentation abst ract, (28,30,32,36,37,49,(51)(52)(53)56,57) and research study.…”