Roosa-Maria Savela, Tarja Välimäki, Outi Kiljunen, Irma Nykänen, Sohvi Koponen, Anna Liisa Suominen, Ursula Schwab
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
We aimed to assess the social inequalities in older family caregivers' frailty conditions, comorbidity, and cognitive functioning. A cross-sectional study was conducted. Study participants were recruited in 2019 in Finland. First, cognitive functioning was assessed with a Mini-Mental State Examination, comorbidity with the modified Functional Comorbidity Index, and frailty conditions were evaluated using the abbreviated Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment. Study participants were also interviewed on socioeconomic factors. The social inequalities in these health outcomes were assessed using the Independent Samples t-test, Pearson Chi-square test, and Binary Logistic Regression Analysis. Family caregivers' (n = 125) mean age was 74, and 73% had frailty conditions. Family caregivers' social inequalities in frailty conditions were linked to their older age and the lowest caregiving cash benefit. Family caregivers' low educational attainment was also the main factor predicting their minor cognitive impairment. Family caregivers' social determinants of health should be fully assessed in their health assessment, policies, and programs to ensure healthy aging for both family caregivers and care recipients in the future.
期刊介绍:
Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine (GGM) is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed open access journal where scholars from a variety of disciplines present their work focusing on the psychological, behavioral, social, and biological aspects of aging, and public health services and research related to aging. The journal addresses a wide variety of topics related to health services research in gerontology and geriatrics. GGM seeks to be one of the world’s premier Open Access outlets for gerontological academic research. As such, GGM does not limit content due to page budgets or thematic significance. Papers will be subjected to rigorous peer review but will be selected solely on the basis of whether the research is sound and deserves publication. By virtue of not restricting papers to a narrow discipline, GGM facilitates the discovery of the connections between papers.