College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
College of Nursing, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea.
J Rural Health. 2022 Jan;38(1):240-250. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12560. Epub 2021 Feb 28.
Caring for a family member with chronic illness increases cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk by 82%, and rurality imparts additional CVD disparities. The purpose of this study was to describe a profile of rural caregivers of patients with chronic illnesses to determine the prevalence of CVD risk factors, and psychosocial and socioeconomic burden, as well as to compare these variables across gender.
Baseline data from a trial of CVD risk reduction in rural caregivers of patients with chronic illnesses were used. We measured depression and anxiety with the PHQ-9 and Brief Symptom Inventory; social, economic, and environmental factors using the MOS-Social Support and Economic and Environmental surveys; body mass index (BMI); blood pressure (BP); and lipid profile.
Of 181 caregivers (age 53±14 years, 80% female), 69% were married; 88% were caring for a family member, including 46% caring for a spouse and 18% for a parent. A total of 51% were anxious, 25% depressed, and 25% reported lack of social support. Most (51%) caregivers had one or more types of CVD; and 49% were smokers. By examination, 76% had elevated BP; 35% had total cholesterol >200; 50% low-density lipoprotein >100; 56% triglycerides >150; and 79% high-density lipoprotein <60. Based on BMI, 91.5% were overweight or obese. Gender comparisons revealed that women reported higher levels of depressive symptoms than men.
Rural caregivers, regardless of gender, are at increased risk of CVD and struggle with factors that make caregiving burdensome and contribute to their own poor cardiac health.
照顾患有慢性病的家庭成员会使心血管疾病（CVD）的风险增加 82%，而农村地区会造成额外的 CVD 差异。本研究的目的是描述患有慢性病患者的农村照顾者的特征，以确定 CVD 危险因素的流行情况以及心理社会和社会经济负担，并比较这些变量在性别上的差异。
本研究使用了一项针对农村慢性病患者照顾者 CVD 风险降低的试验的基线数据。我们使用 PHQ-9 和 Brief Symptom Inventory 来衡量抑郁和焦虑；使用 MOS 社会支持和经济与环境调查来衡量社会、经济和环境因素；使用体重指数（BMI）、血压（BP）和血脂谱来衡量身体质量指数（BMI）、血压（BP）和血脂谱。
在 181 名照顾者（年龄 53±14 岁，80%为女性）中，69%已婚；88%照顾家庭成员，包括 46%照顾配偶和 18%照顾父母。共有 51%的人焦虑，25%的人抑郁，25%的人报告缺乏社会支持。大多数（51%）照顾者患有一种或多种 CVD；49%的人吸烟。通过检查，76%的人血压升高；35%的人总胆固醇>200；50%的人低密度脂蛋白>100；56%的人甘油三酯>150；79%的人高密度脂蛋白<60。根据 BMI，91.5%的人超重或肥胖。性别比较显示，女性的抑郁症状比男性更严重。
无论性别如何，农村照顾者都面临着 CVD 风险增加的问题，并且面临着使照顾负担沉重并导致自身心脏健康状况不佳的因素。
