MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2024 Aug 29;73(34):740-746. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7334a2.
Caregivers provide support to persons who might otherwise require placement in long-term care facilities. Approximately one in five U.S. adults provides care to family members or friends who have a chronic health condition or disability. Promoting the well-being of this large segment of the population is a public health priority as recognized by the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. Although negative associations between caregiving and caregiver health are known, changes in the health status of caregivers over time are not. Data from the 2015-2016 and 2021-2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were analyzed to compare changes in the prevalence of 19 health indicators among cross-sectional samples of caregivers and noncaregivers at different time points. Caregivers experienced improvements in prevalence of four health indicators, whereas six worsened. Some health indicators, such as cigarette smoking, improved for both caregivers and noncaregivers, although smoking prevalence remained higher for caregivers (16.6% versus 11.7%). Prevalence of lifetime depression increased for both groups and remained higher among caregivers (25.6%) than among noncaregivers (18.6%). During 2021-2022, age-adjusted estimates for caregivers were unfavorable for 13 of the 19 health indicators when compared with noncaregivers. Strategies for supporting caregivers are available, and integrating these with existing programs to address mental health and chronic diseases among this population might improve caregiver well-being. For example, many community organizations support caregivers by offering interventions designed to relieve caregiver strain, including skills training, support groups, and care coordination.
照顾者为可能需要长期护理的人提供支持。大约五分之一的美国成年人为患有慢性健康状况或残疾的家庭成员或朋友提供护理。促进这一庞大人群的健康是公共卫生的优先事项，这一点已得到 2022 年《支持家庭照顾者国家战略》的认可。尽管已知照顾者与照顾者健康之间存在负面关联，但照顾者的健康状况随时间的变化尚不清楚。对 2015-2016 年和 2021-2022 年行为风险因素监测系统的数据进行了分析，以比较不同时间点的横断面照顾者和非照顾者样本中 19 个健康指标的流行率变化。与非照顾者相比，照顾者有四个健康指标的流行率有所改善，而有六个指标的流行率恶化。一些健康指标，如吸烟，对照顾者和非照顾者都有所改善，尽管照顾者的吸烟率仍然较高（16.6%对 11.7%）。终身抑郁症的流行率在两组中都有所增加，且照顾者（25.6%）的比例仍然高于非照顾者（18.6%）。与非照顾者相比，2021-2022 年，对照顾者的年龄调整估计值在 19 个健康指标中有 13 个不利。为照顾者提供支持的策略是可用的，将这些策略与现有方案相结合，以解决这一人群的心理健康和慢性疾病问题，可能会改善照顾者的幸福感。例如，许多社区组织通过提供旨在减轻照顾者压力的干预措施来支持照顾者，包括技能培训、支持小组和护理协调。
