title: Preventive Services Use Among African American and Latino Adult Caregivers in South Los Angeles.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The burden of informal caregiving is significant and well-documented, yet the evidence is mixed as to whether being a caregiver presents an additional barrier to receiving recommended preventive care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether (1) caregivers compared with noncaregivers were less likely to receive preventive health services; and (2) higher intensity caregivers were less likely to receive preventive health services than lower intensity caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were from a telephone survey of Latino and African American adults 50 years or older in South Los Angeles (n=702). Outcomes were flu vaccination, pneumococcal vaccination, and colorectal cancer screening. Logistic regression models adjusted for predisposing, enabling, and need factors according to the Andersen Model of Access to Health Care for Low-income Populations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Caregiver type (eg, adult child, nonrelated) was associated with varying odds of receiving a preventive service. Caregivers had lower odds than noncaregivers of receiving preventive services although odds of receiving a flu vaccination improved slightly for caregivers of persons with memory loss compared with other caregivers. More weekly caregiving hours was associated with higher odds of receiving flu vaccination (adjusted odds ratios, 1.1; 95% confidence interval=1.0, 1.1) or colorectal cancer screening (adjusted odds ratios, 1.1; 95% confidence interval=1.0, 1.1). Caregivers and noncaregivers age 65 and older or with chronic conditions were more likely to receive vaccinations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preventive service use was influenced by characteristics of the caregiving situation. An opportunity may exist to leverage care recipients' ongoing contact with health care providers to increase caregivers' own access to preventive services.
authors.affiliation: *College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR †Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA.
authors.forename: Carolyn A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mendez-Luck
authors.forename: Kara O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luck
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015141:Los Angeles; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011315:Preventive Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*