Citation

Connell CM, Gallant MP. Activ. Adapt. Aging 2001; 24(2): 1-16.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1300/J016v24n02_01

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Caring for a relative with a chronic illness is an increasingly common experience among families. Although a great deal of evidence links caregiving with adverse health outcomes, the mechanism of this relationship is unclear. One potential mediating factor that has received relatively little research attention is the health behavior patterns of caregivers. The goals of the present paper are to (a) provide a selected review and analysis of the published literature that examines caregiver health behavior, (b) highlight examples of caregiver interventions that include a health behavior component, (c) discuss self care as an appropriate framework for advancing the caregiver literature, and (d) offer recommendations for future research and for the design and evaluation of self care interventions for caregivers.