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BACKGROUND: Caregivers form a significant proportion of the U.S. population. The health of caregivers may be impacted at multiple levels – physical, emotional, mental, social – due to the demands of caregiving, putting them at risk for negative health behaviors and outcomes. The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between caregiver status and personal health behaviors and overall physical health among adults in Texas.
METHODS: Data from the 2010 Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, including the state-added caregiver module, were analyzed using logistic regression. The primary predictor was caregiver status. A caregiver is defined as an adult who “provided regular care or assistance to a friend or family member who has a health problem, long-term illness, or disability in the past month”. Health behavior and indicator outcomes were: health insurance, recent dentist visit, recent doctor check-up, good rest or sleep, current smoking status, obesity, fair or poor health, physical health rated not good. Full models were adjusted for sex, age, race/ethnicity, marital status, education level, employment status, body mass index category, and current smoking status.
RESULTS: Among the 8,491 respondents who were asked if they had acted as a caregiver in the past month, 17.0% (n = 1,500) said yes. Compared to non-caregivers, caregivers were statistically significantly more likely to be female, older with an average age of 48.2 years, unemployed, a current smoker, obese, and to not get good rest or sleep (using p < 0.05). In adjusted models, caregivers were more than twice as likely to be current smokers compared to non-caregivers (OR = 2.18; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.52-3.13). The odds of getting good rest or sleep on all of the past 30 days was significantly lower among caregivers compared to non-caregivers (OR = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.52-0.92). Caregivers were less likely to report that their health was fair or poor or to report that their physical health was not good. Caregivers were less likely to have never seen a dentist or to have gone five or more years without seeing a dentist (OR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.50-1.01).
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that caregiving may have a negative health impact on caregivers in Texas. Providing respite care, physical activity and nutrition education, and targeting smoking cessation interventions towards the caregiver population may be useful for increasing good sleep, and reducing obesity and smoking.