[Contribution of women and low-income households to the provision of informal home healthcare].
OBJECTIVE
To determine gender and socioeconomic inequalities in the production of informal home health care.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey. The study population was formed by 17.907 individuals interviewed in 1994 in the Spanish sample of 1994 the European Community Household Panel. The number of caregivers in the sample is 1.305 individuals (7.3% of the total). Two outcome measures were analysed: the risk of being an informal caregiver and the risk of caring more than 28 h weekly. The independent variables were the household income level, occupation, gender, age and self-perceived health status. The odds ratio are obtained from logistic regression models.


RESULTS
Women are more likely than men to provide care for someone (74.4%). Low-income individual without occupation bear the greatest probability of providing care more than 28 h weekly OR = 2.24 (1.45-3.47). Bad self-perceived health status in people with occupation is associated with being a full-time caregiver OR = 4.51 (1.48-13.68). Age increase the probability both of being an informal caregiver and to care more than 28 hours a week.


CONCLUSIONS
Women, low-income social classes and aged people bear the greatest burden of giving care.
La Parra
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Departamento de Salud Pública, Universidad de Alicante, Spain. daniel.laparra@ua.es
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain; D013997:Time Factors; D014930:Women