College of Health

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.

OBJECTIVES: 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.

RESEARCH DESIGN, SUBJECTS, AND MEASURES: 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.