Whitley Deborah M, Fuller-Thomson Esme, Brennenstuhl Sarah
School of Social Work, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 3993, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA.
Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1A1 ; Institute for Life Course & Aging, University of Toronto, 263 McCaul Street, Suite 328, Toronto, ON, Canada M5T 1W7.
Curr Gerontol Geriatr Res. 2015;2015:630717. doi: 10.1155/2015/630717. Epub 2015 Sep 10.
Objectives. To describe the health characteristics of solo grandparents raising grandchildren compared with single parents. Methods. Using the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, respondents identified as a single grandparent raising a grandchild were categorized as a solo grandparent; grandparent responses were compared with single parents. Descriptive analysis compared health characteristics of 925 solo grandparents with 7,786 single parents. Results. Compared to single parents, grandparents have a higher prevalence of physical health problems (e.g., arthritis). Both parent groups have a high prevalence of lifetime depression. A larger share of grandparents actively smoke and did no recreational physical exercise in the last month. However, grandparents appear to have better access to health services in comparison with single parents. Conclusion. Solo grandparents may be at risk for diminished physical capacity and heightened prevalence of depression. Health professionals can be an important resource to increase grandparents' physical and emotional capacities.
目标。描述抚养孙辈的单亲祖父母与单亲父母相比的健康特征。方法。利用2012年行为风险因素监测系统，将被认定为抚养孙辈的单亲祖父母的受访者归类为单亲祖父母；将祖父母的回答与单亲父母的回答进行比较。描述性分析比较了925名单亲祖父母与7786名单亲父母的健康特征。结果。与单亲父母相比，祖父母身体健康问题（如关节炎）的患病率更高。两个父母群体终生患抑郁症的患病率都很高。在过去一个月里，有更大比例的祖父母积极吸烟且未进行任何娱乐性体育锻炼。然而，与单亲父母相比，祖父母似乎能更好地获得医疗服务。结论。单亲祖父母可能面临身体能力下降和抑郁症患病率升高的风险。健康专业人员可以成为增强祖父母身体和情感能力的重要资源。
