Antecedents of Physical Activity Among Family Caregivers.
OBJECTIVE
We examined exercise behaviors among family caregivers and the degree to which aspects of the caregiving role influenced exercise behaviors. Understanding factors associated with caregiver physical activity provides practitioners the means to design and tailor interventions to be effective for caregivers.


METHODS
Caregivers (N=208) participating in a self-care intervention to promote caregiving skills were surveyed at baseline, prior to training. Measures included caregiver characteristics, care recipient characteristics, attitudes and intentions toward exercise and levels of physical activity.


RESULTS
Mental health variables and self-efficacy for exercise were significantly related to exercise levels in bivariate analyses. Regression analyses revealed that caregiver and care recipient characteristics accounted for a small percentage of the variance in exercise behavior.


CONCLUSIONS
Caregiver vitality and self-efficacy for exercise were key variables most significantly related to exercise behaviors. Findings suggest that mental health factors and attitudes about exercise may be more important predictors of exercise than caregiving factors.
College of Nursing, Rush University Medical Center.
Caryn D
CD
Etkin
Center for Research on Health and Aging at the Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago.
Thomas R
TR
Prohaska
University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Cathleen M
CM
Connell
Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging.
Perry
P
Edelman
Center for Research on Health and Aging at the Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago.
Susan L
SL
Hughes
caregivers; exercise; physical activity; self-efficacy; vitality