The status and influencing factors of sub-health in inpatient caregivers

Abstract

Objective To explore the status and influencing factors of sub-health in inpatient caregivers. Methods A total of 432 caregivers met the inclusion criteria were enrolled.Suboptimal health status questionnaire (SHSQ-25) was used to evaluate the status of sub-health.Sub-health was defined as SHSQ-25 score ≥ 35.100 people undertaking routine physical examinations were enrolled as control group.The incidence and influencing factors of sub-health in caregivers were analyzed. Results (1) The caregivers group valued higher in SHSQ-25 score significantly (36.9±8.6 vs.27.5±13.0, P<0.05). The incidence of sub-health was obviously higher in caregiver group than that in control group (69.9% vs.39.0%, P<0.05). (2) A significant difference in the SHSQ-25 scores between female caregivers and male caregivers was observed (37.9±9.0 vs.34.6±7.1, P<0.05). The SHSQ-25 score was positively related with age (r=0.578, P<0.05) and accompanying time(r=0.507, P<0.05). Parents, children, or spouses of patients got higher scores than other types of caregivers(38.1±8.1 vs.31.1±8.8, P<0.05). (3) Among the sub-health caregivers, only 10.9% of them were aware of their sub-health status. Conclusion The incidence of sub-health may be higher in inpatient caregivers than the general population.Gender, age, accompanying time, and the relationship between patients and caregivers may be influencing factors for sub-health.Effective action should be taken to improve the health status of caregivers. Key words: Caregivers; Sub-health; Influencing factors