title: Perceived health status and health-promoting behaviors of African-American and White informal caregivers of impaired elders.
abstract: Caregiving and its consequences are major concerns for nurses. Many studies have examined health-promoting behaviors in general (Duffy, 1993; Walker, Volkan, Sechrist, & Pender, 1988), but few studies have explored health-promoting behaviors of caregivers. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of age, gender, race, and length of caregiving on perceived health status and health-promoting behaviors of African-American and White informal caregivers of impaired elders. Data from a larger study was used to examine a conceptual model linking perceived health status and health-promoting behavior. A sample of 136 (n = 136) African-American and 257 (n = 257) White caregivers was recruited from northeastern Ohio through random digit dialing and interviewed face to face. English-speaking caregivers were selected for study who provided unpaid assistance or care for a minimum of five hours a week to an impaired person 60 years of age or older living in the community. The Health-Promoting Behavior Questionnaire, perceived health status, and a demographic profile were used to measure the study variables. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. Findings from this study suggest that the overall fit of the conceptual model was significant, and that moreover, the relationship found between perceived health status and health-promoting behaviors supported Pender's model of health promotion (Pender, 1987). The relationship between perceived health status and health-promoting behaviors has not been documented in prior studies of caregivers, or in studies comparing the two racial groups of African-Americans and Whites.
authors.affiliation: Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. Patricia.McDonald@case.edu
authors.forename: Patricia E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: Patricia Flatley
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.forename: May L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wykle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology*; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009820:Ohio; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology*