J Korean Acad Community Health Nurs.  2011 Dec;22(4):409-419. 10.12799/jkachn.2011.22.4.409.

The Effects of Foot Reflexology on Sleep, Depression and Skin Temperature of the Female Elderly at Home

• Kim CS
• Hong SH
• Kim SR
• Kim YJ

• KMID: 2293219
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12799/jkachn.2011.22.4.409

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of foot reflexology on sleep, depression and skin temperature of the female elderly at home.
METHODS
This research used the non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 45 elders residing at home: 23 in the experimental group and 22 in the control group. The experimental group received 30-minute foot reflexology 8 times for 2 weeks. The results were analyzed using chi2 test, t-test with the SPSS/WIN 12.0 program.
RESULTS
The results showed that foot reflexology was significantly effective in improving the quality of sleep, reducing depression, and raising the temperature of both feet. However, the temperature of both palms was not statistically significantly different between the two groups.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study indicated that foot reflexology is an effective nursing intervention in improving the quality of sleep, reducing depression, and raising the temperature of both feet. Therefore, it is recommended to use foot reflexology as a complementary nursing intervention for elderly women at home in community.

Keyword

Reflexology; Elderly; Sleep; Depression; Skin temperature

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Depression*
Female*
Foot*
Humans
Massage*
Nursing
Skin Temperature*
Skin*