title: Effect of a 12-day balneotherapy programme on pain, mood, sleep, and depression in healthy elderly people.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The main purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of a 12-day balneotherapy programme on pain, mood state, sleep, and depression in older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, 52 elderly adults from different areas of Spain participated in a social hydrotherapy programme created by the government's Institute for Elderly and Social Services, known as IMSERSO; participants included 23 men (age, 69.74 ± 5.19 years) and 29 women (age, 70.31 ± 6.76 years). Pain was analyzed using the visual analogue scale. Mood was assessed using the Profile of Mood Status. Sleep was assessed using the Oviedo Sleep Questionnaire. Depression was assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale. The balneotherapy programme was undertaken at Balneario San Andrés (Jaén, Spain). The water at Balneario San Andrés, according to the Handbook of Spanish Mineral Water, is a hypothermic (≥20°C) hard water of medium mineralization, with bicarbonate, sulfate, sodium, and magnesium as the dominant ions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Balneotherapy produced significant improvements (P < 0.05) for all variables (pain, mood state, sleep, and depression) in the total sample. A differential effect was found between the sexes regarding pain improvement, with men, but not women, having significantly improvement (P < 0.01) after treatment. With regard to improving mood, sex differences were also shown, with women, but not men, significantly improved (P < 0.05) in both depression and fatigue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, a 12-day balneotherapy programme has a positive effect on pain, mood, sleep quality, and depression in healthy older people.
authors.affiliation: Department of Corporal Expression, University of Jaen, Jaén, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro Ángel
authors.initials: PÁ
authors.lastname: Latorre-Román
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rentero-Blanco
authors.forename: Jose Alberto
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Laredo-Aguilera
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: García-Pinillos
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D001452:Balneology; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006875:Hydrotherapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D013030:Spain; D064232:Visual Analog Scale
keywords: elderly; mood status; pain; sleep; spa therapy