Factors Associated With the Self-Reported Health Status of Female Caregivers of AIDS Patients
Walter Kipp1*
and
Thomas Matukala Nkosi2
1 University of Alberta
2 Jewish General Hospital-SMBD
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: walter.kipp{at}ualberta.ca.
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Abstract |
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A cross-sectional study was conducted on women who were family caregivers of spouses with AIDS, living in the Bumbu Zone, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Eighty caregivers were randomly selected from a client visitation list of the home-based care program for AIDS patients. A semistructured questionnaire was used in face-to-face interviews. A self-reported health status score was calculated using five items from the questionnaire. The self-reported health of female caregivers indicates poor health. Lower caregiver health is associated with lower income, rented accommodation, little support, and stigmatization of the caregiver by relatives.
