Healthy Aging Program, Division of Population Health, Mailstop F78, 4770 Buford Hwy, NE, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
Prev Chronic Dis. 2013 Aug 15;10:E135. doi: 10.5888/pcd10.130090.
We examined the characteristics of adults providing regular care or assistance to friends or family members who have health problems, long-term illnesses, or disabilities (ie, caregivers). We used data from the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to examine caregiver characteristics, by age and caregiving status, and compare these characteristics with those of noncaregivers. Approximately 24.7% (95% confidence interval, 24.4%-25.0%) of respondents were caregivers. Compared with younger caregivers, older caregivers reported more fair or poor health and physical distress but more satisfaction with life and lower mental distress. Understanding the characteristics of caregivers can help enhance strategies that support their role in providing long-term care.
我们研究了为有健康问题、长期患病或残疾的朋友或家庭成员（即照顾者）提供定期照顾或帮助的成年人的特征。我们使用了 2009 年行为风险因素监测系统（BRFSS）的数据，根据年龄和照顾状态来研究照顾者的特征，并将这些特征与非照顾者进行比较。约 24.7%（95%置信区间，24.4%-25.0%）的受访者是照顾者。与年轻的照顾者相比，年长的照顾者报告了更多的健康状况不佳或较差、身体不适，但对生活更满意，精神压力更小。了解照顾者的特征有助于加强支持他们在提供长期护理方面的作用的策略。
