HEALTH PRACTICES OF ADULTS WITH ELDER CARE RESPONSIBILITIES

Background. This study examined health-risk behaviors and preventive h ealth care activities among caregivers for older adults. Methods. Surv ey questionnaires regarding health practices were completed by 272 car egivers and 917 noncaregivers selected through a stratified random sam ple of persons age 50 or older who were members of the Kaiser Foundati on Health Plan in Northern California. Results. Controlling for age, g ender, race, education, marital status, and income level, caregivers w ere more likely than noncaregivers to eat breakfast daily, get flu sho ts, and receive pneumonia vaccines. Caregivers and noncaregivers did n ot differ significantly with regard to any of 10 other health practice s or to the total number of positive health behaviors. Poorer health p ractices were associated with nonwhite racial identification, low inco me level, part-time employment, and health limitations. Conclusions. T hese findings suggest that, at least for caregivers who have access to the extensive health promotion resources of a large health maintenanc e organization, caregiving responsibilities may not always have the de leterious impact on health and health practices that had previously be en assumed. (C) 1997 Academic Press.