Purpose: The purpose of this study was to
identify how heat therapy influences pain and
sleep in rural elders who have osteoarthritis
(OA). Method: A non-equivalent control group
pretest-posttest design was used. Participants
were 61 elderly farmers and they were assigned
to an experimental group (31) or control group
(30). The participants were living within the
district boundaries of a public health clinic in
North Choong Chung Province. The research
was conducted from April 1, to 28, 2006.
Results: The results of this study demonstrate
that heat therapy is effective in reducing pain
and promoting sleep in rural elders who have
osteoarthritis. Conclusion: Heat therapy
reduced pain, and improved sleep in rural
elders, with osteoarthritis.