Caregiving and cardiovascular disease risk factors in male and female Luo elders from Kenya.
BACKGROUND
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has created over 11 million orphans, who are primarily being cared for by grandparents. It has been suggested that this renewed parenting responsibility presents elders with added stressors. Few studies have systematically examined the impact of caregiving on health outcomes.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine the impact of caregiving on cardiovascular risk. It was hypothesized that caregiving would increase cardiovascular disease risk as measured by Framingham risk scores.


METHODS
386 Luo elders (age = 73+/-8), divided into caregiving and non-caregiving groups, were recruited from the Nyanza Province, Kenya. Data were obtained from the participants including: Total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, age, sex and smoking status.


RESULTS
No significant difference was found between the Framingham risk scores of caregivers and non-caregivers. Among women increased BMI was positively associated with Framingham score (p=0.017), and among men increased waist circumference was positively associated with the score (p<0.001). Among women, the number of orphans under one's care lowered the risk of falling into the top quartile of the Framingham score while being a caregiver increased the risk of falling into the top quartile.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that there is not a simple relationship between caregiving and cardiovascular risk.
Horwitz
Shawn
S
Department of Social Medicine, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio 45701, USA.
Yogo
Jaja
J
Juma
Elizabeth
E
Ice
Gillian H
GH
D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017028:Caregivers; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013599:Systole / Q000502:physiology
D002784:Cholesterol; D005947:Glucose