TY - JOUR
T1 - Predictors of unhealthy physical and mental days among informal cancer caregivers
T2 - results from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey
AU - Coughlin, Steven S.
AU - Datta, Biplab
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2022/3
Y1 - 2022/3
N2 - Background: Patients with cancer and cancer survivors commonly rely upon family members and friends to act as caregivers to help manage cancer treatment and the late effects of that treatment. Informal caregivers provide a variety of supportive functions for cancer patients, including emotional, informational, and functional support, and practical assistance with skilled care activities. Objective: We examined predictors of unhealthy physical and mental days among informal cancer caregivers. Unhealthy days are an estimate of the overall number of days during the previous 30 days when the respondent felt that either his or her physical or mental health was not good. Methods: Data were used from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a cross-sectional, population-based study. The participants were adults aged ≥ 18 years who provided regular care or assistance to a friend or family member who had cancer in the past 30 days. Results: On average, caregivers who had a household income of less than $25,000 per year reported more (p < 0.05) unhealthy physical and mental days (during the last 30 days). Average reported number of mental unhealthy days was the highest for those who provided care for 2 or more years and 40 or more hours per week. Caregivers of Hispanic ethnicity had a greater risk of reporting unhealthy physical and mental days among those who provided care for 2 or more years. Among those who were providing care for 40 + h a week, caregivers from less wealthy households (income less than $50,000) were at greater risk of experiencing a larger number of unhealthy mental days. Conclusions: Informal cancer caregiving can be a stressful experience with potentially negative consequences for both psychological and physical health. Of particular concern are caregivers who are low-income or have limited financial resources.
AB - Background: Patients with cancer and cancer survivors commonly rely upon family members and friends to act as caregivers to help manage cancer treatment and the late effects of that treatment. Informal caregivers provide a variety of supportive functions for cancer patients, including emotional, informational, and functional support, and practical assistance with skilled care activities. Objective: We examined predictors of unhealthy physical and mental days among informal cancer caregivers. Unhealthy days are an estimate of the overall number of days during the previous 30 days when the respondent felt that either his or her physical or mental health was not good. Methods: Data were used from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a cross-sectional, population-based study. The participants were adults aged ≥ 18 years who provided regular care or assistance to a friend or family member who had cancer in the past 30 days. Results: On average, caregivers who had a household income of less than $25,000 per year reported more (p < 0.05) unhealthy physical and mental days (during the last 30 days). Average reported number of mental unhealthy days was the highest for those who provided care for 2 or more years and 40 or more hours per week. Caregivers of Hispanic ethnicity had a greater risk of reporting unhealthy physical and mental days among those who provided care for 2 or more years. Among those who were providing care for 40 + h a week, caregivers from less wealthy households (income less than $50,000) were at greater risk of experiencing a larger number of unhealthy mental days. Conclusions: Informal cancer caregiving can be a stressful experience with potentially negative consequences for both psychological and physical health. Of particular concern are caregivers who are low-income or have limited financial resources.
KW - Cancer
KW - Family caregivers
KW - Supportive care
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85117858787&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85117858787&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00520-021-06635-6
DO - 10.1007/s00520-021-06635-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 34693491
AN - SCOPUS:85117858787
SN - 0941-4355
VL - 30
SP - 2163
EP - 2171
JO - Supportive Care in Cancer
JF - Supportive Care in Cancer
IS - 3
ER -