Factors Associated With Alzheimer's Disease Patients' Caregiving Status and Family Caregiving Burden in China

Yuxian Li; Fangda Leng; Qi Xiong; Jiong Zhou; Ailian Du; Feiqi Zhu; Xiaowen Kou; Wei Sun; Luzeng Chen; Huali Wang; Hengge Xie; Feng Gao; Haiqiang Jin; Yongan Sun

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.865933

Factors Associated With Alzheimer's Disease Patients' Caregiving Status and Family Caregiving Burden in China

Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 Mar 16:14:865933. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.865933. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yuxian Li^{1

2}, Fangda Leng¹, Qi Xiong³, Jiong Zhou⁴, Ailian Du⁵, Feiqi Zhu⁶, Xiaowen Kou⁷, Wei Sun¹, Luzeng Chen⁸, Huali Wang⁹, Hengge Xie¹⁰, Feng Gao³, Haiqiang Jin¹, Yongan Sun¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Peking University First Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
² Department of Neurology, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
³ Health Service Department of the Guard Bureau of the Joint Staff Department, Beijing, China.
⁴ Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, China.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Shanghai Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
⁶ Department of Neurology, Shenzhen Luohu People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
⁷ Health Times, The People's Daily, Beijing, China.
⁸ Department of Ultrasonography, Peking University First Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
⁹ Department of Psychiatry, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China.
¹⁰ Department of Neurology, Second Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Background: The increasing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has emerged as a major challenge worldwide. China as the most populous country in the globe is amid rapid aging of its population, highlighting the need for appropriate social and medical policies to meet the challenge. The current multicenter cross-sectional observational study aims to provide understanding of the current status of caring given to AD patients in China and investigate the factors that influence the family burden as well as the choice of care given to AD patients.

Methods: A total of 1,675 patients with probable AD from 30 provincial regions of mainland China were enrolled in the current study from August 2019 to December 2019. We analyzed the caregiving status and its relationship with family burden and various socio-economical and medical factors.

Results: In the current study, 90.87% of the AD patients enrolled adopted family care. The choice of caregiving method was influenced by factors including age (>80 years old, OR 0.648; 95% CI, 0.427-0.983), overall family burden (high, OR 0.574; 95% CI, 0.0.373-0.884), patients' income (OR 0.511; 95% CI, 0.330-0.789) and self-care ability (OR 0.329; 95% CI, 0.183-0.588).

Conclusion: Family care is the primary method of care for AD patients in China and the institutional care system for AD patients is still underprepared in China.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; care preference; caregiver burden; caregiving; home care; institutional care.