Physical activity and its relationship to burden and health concerns in family caregivers of people with dementia

Abstract

BackgroundCaring for people with dementia (PwD) usually triggers stress and leads to mental and somatic health complaints (SHCs). Physical activity (PA) can provide burden relief in PwD caregivers, but it is not clear whether PA habits would contribute to reducing SHCs. This study aims to analyze the effect of PA on the relationship between burden and SHCs in a sample of family caregivers of PwD.MethodsOne hundred and fifty‐seven caregivers of PwD reported their PA habits, and completed the Giessen's Subjective Health Complaints Questionnaire (GBB‐8) and the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). The relationship between PA habits, burden of care (ZBI), and SHCs (B‐GBB‐8 scale) was examined. Subsequently, the moderating effect of PA habits on the relationship between burden and SHCs was tested.ResultsPA habit was inversely associated with ZBI (rbp = −0.242) and GBB‐8 scores (rbp (Gastrointestinal) = −0.174; rbp (Musculoskeletal) = −0.195; rbp (Exhaustion) = −0.247; rbp (Cardiovascular) = −0.250; and rbp (Overall) = −0.257, respectively), whereas moderate positive correlations were found between ZBI and GBB‐8 scores (r (Gastrointestinal) = 0.483; r (Musculoskeletal) = 0.536; r (Exhaustion) = 0.542; r (Cardiovascular) = 0.438; and r (Overall) = 0.598, respectively). The interaction effect of PA habit and burden was significant for the overall SHCs (b = −0.11; P < 0.05) and cardiovascular complaints (b = −0.06; P < 0.05). However, the association between burden and SHCs was significant (P < 0.001) only for sedentary caregivers.ConclusionThese findings indicate that maintaining an active lifestyle through regular PA could potentially help alleviate the adverse effects of caregiver burden on somatic health among caregivers of PwD. Encouraging and endorsing PA interventions for informal caregivers might yield substantial advantages for their health and general well‐being.