地域における高齢の介護者の健康度と生活習慣—非介護者との比較から

Health Conditions and Health Practices in Community Elderly Caregivers

　本研究の目的は，地域の高齢介護者の健康状況と生活習慣について把握することである．静岡県浜松市M町在住の65歳以上の高齢者567人の性，年齢，介護実施の有無，身体的・精神的健康，生活習慣，生活満足度，ソーシャルサポートの状況などを調査した．介護者と非介護者とを比較し以下の結果を得た．

1．地域の高齢介護者の数は，女性が345人中15人（4.3％），男性は222人中4人（1.8％），全体では19人（3.4％）であった．介護者の平均年齢は，女性が72.07±5.22歳，男性は79.75±7.89歳で，男性の方が高齢であった．

2．対象者全体では，うつ尺度得点は女性が男性に比べ有意（P＜0.05）に高く，生活満足度は女性が有意（P＜0.05）に低かった．ソーシャルサポート得点は男性が有意（p＜0.01）に，生活習慣得点は女性が有意（p＜0.001）に高かった．特に，飲酒と喫煙習慣は男性が有意（p＜0.001）に多かった．

3．介護者と非介護者の比較では，うつ尺度得点は，男性は介護者が高い傾向（p＜0.1）が伺え，女性は逆に介護者の方が低い傾向（p＜0.1）が伺えた．その他の項目では差は認められなかった．

　The purpose of this study is to assess the state of health and quality of life of aged caregivers in a particular community. We surveyed the gender, age, caregiving experience, state of physical and mental health, health practice index, score for overall satisfaction in life and capacity to provide social support of 567 aged persons, aged 65 years or older, living in M city in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan.

　Date for caregivers and noncaregivers were compared and the following results were obtained.

　(1) Of the 345 females and 222 males surveyed, 15 (4.3%) and 4 (1.8%), respectively, were caregivers (total 19 (3.4%)). The average age of female caregivers was 72.07±5.22 and that of male caregivers was 79.75±7.89; the avarage age of male caregivers was higher than that of female caregivers.

　(2) The level of depression was significantly higher in females than in males (p＜0.05), and the level of overall satisfaction in life was significantly lower in females than in males (p＜0.05). The score for the capacity to provide social support was significantly higher in males than in females (p＜0.01), however, the health practice index was significantly higher in famales than in males (p＜0.05). In particular, drinking and smoking habits were significantly higher in males than in females (p＜0.001).

　(3) In the comparison between caregivers and noncaregivers, the level of depression tended to be higher in caregivers than in noncaregivers among the males (p＜0.1). Conversely, the level of depression tended to be lower in caregivers than in noncaregivers among the females (p＜0.1). There were no significant differences in the other factors surveyed.