@article {587, title = {Predictors of perceived health status in elderly men and women. The Cardiovascular Health Study.}, journal = {J Aging Health}, volume = {6}, year = {1994}, month = {1994 Nov}, pages = {419-47}, abstract = {

Baseline data on the perceived health status of participants (N = 5,201) in the Cardiovascular Health Study of the Elderly (CHS) are reported. The authors examined the predictive utility of health-related factors representing eight different domains, assessed gender differences in the prediction of perceived health, and tested a hypothesis regarding the role of known clinical conditions versus subclinical disease in predicting perceived health. Multivariate analyses showed that the majority of the explained variance in self-assessed health is accounted for by variables that fall into four general categories. Although gender differences were small, the analysis showed that the relative importance of several predictor variables did vary by gender.

}, keywords = {Aged, Cardiovascular Diseases, Data Collection, Female, Forecasting, Geriatric Assessment, Health Status, Humans, Male, Multivariate Analysis, Regression Analysis, Self-Assessment, Sex Factors, United States}, issn = {0898-2643}, doi = {10.1177/089826439400600401}, author = {Schulz, R and Mittelmark, M and Kronmal, R and Polak, J F and Hirsch, C H and German, P and Bookwala, J} } @article {1477, title = {Preventive health behaviors among spousal caregivers.}, journal = {Prev Med}, volume = {26}, year = {1997}, month = {1997 Mar-Apr}, pages = {162-9}, abstract = {

BACKGROUND: The physical and emotional burden of caring for a functionally impaired spouse may adversely affect the preventive health behavior of the caregiver. This study explores the relationship between caregiving and lifestyle health behaviors and use of preventive services.

METHODS: The Caregiver Health Effects Study identified spousal caregivers among a sample of more than 3,000 married, community-dwelling older persons, from four counties in the United States, who were enrollees in the Cardiovascular Health Study. High-level caregivers were defined as having a spouse with an ADL impairment (n = 212) and moderate-level caregivers, a spouse with one or more IADL impairments (n = 222). For each caregiver, a control, matched for age and gender, was selected (n = 385). Structured interviews were conducted in the home, following enrollment.

RESULTS: Being a high-level caregiver significantly increased the odds of not getting enough rest, not having enough time to exercise, not having time to rest to recuperate from illness, and forgetting to take prescription medications, compared with noncaregivers. These findings did not hold for moderate-level caregivers. The odds were not significantly different for either level of caregiver compared with noncaregivers for missing meals, missing doctor appointments, missing flu shots, and not refilling medications. Larger proportions of caregivers with a strong sense of control had good preventive health behaviors, compared with caregivers with a weak sense of control.

}, keywords = {Activities of Daily Living, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Analysis of Variance, Caregivers, Case-Control Studies, Chi-Square Distribution, Confidence Intervals, Exercise, Female, Health Behavior, Health Status, Health Surveys, Humans, Internal-External Control, Life Style, Logistic Models, Male, Odds Ratio, Preventive Health Services, Self Care, Social Support, Spouses, United States}, issn = {0091-7435}, doi = {10.1006/pmed.1996.0129}, author = {Burton, L C and Newsom, J T and Schulz, R and Hirsch, C H and German, P S} }