Caregiver burden and health promotion

Few of the studies describing caregiver stress and burden have focused on the effects of caregiving on the ability of the caregiver to attend to his or her own health needs. Therefore, the major purpose of this study was to investigate whether the perception of burden is related to the health-promoting behaviors of caregivers of the elderly. One hundred twenty-one predominantly female caregivers, mean age 61.1 years, S.D. = 13.4, completed questionnaires measuring demographic and health-related factors, the Objective and Subjective Burden Scales, and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile. Findings suggest that those perceiving lower subjective burden practice more health-promoting behaviors than those with higher subjective burden scores, confirming Pender's contention that situational factors, such as caregiver burden, may affect health promotion.