Burden of care and the body mass index of informal caregivers of haemodialysis patients in South-West, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction:Hemodialysis being a cost intensive
procedure demanding so much from patient and their caregivers, most studies had focused on the burden of caregiving among formal and informal caregivers, but very little is known about relation between caregiving burden and lifestyle factors. The study aimed at examining the relationship between informal caregiving burden and body mass index (BMI) of caregivers.
Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive quantitative cross-sectional study involving 204
informal caregivers of haemodialysis patients from four dialysis centres in Lagos. Self-administered Structured questionnaire were distributed to collect information on socio-demographic data. Laboratory investigation were done to obtain information on hematological characteristics and urine profile. Anthropometric measurement was taken using stadiometer, weighing scale and sphygmomanometer. The BMI was calculated using weight/square of height. Caregiving burden was evaluated using the Zarith Caregiver Burden Instrument (ZBI). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 23, descriptive statistics were presented in tables and charts, inferential statistic were tested with Chi-square at a significant level of p ≤ 0.05.
Results: Mean age of the study population was 39.82 ± 5.63years (ranged 15 – 65) with 56.9% being females. Overall, 11.3% were obese, with a higher population among female respondents (6.9% vs 4.4%, P>0.05). Findings indicated that level of burden experienced by caregivers in each centre does not show much difference. More than half, (88.7%) of informal caregivers of haemodialysis patients irrespective of location of care, experienced moderate caregiving burden. There was also no significant association between BMI and burden of care (X2 = 6.30, P>0.05).
Conclusion: Burden was associated with caring for haemodialysis patients but doesn't have a significant association with their BMI (obesity and overweight). Awareness programme is recommended on the implication of normal BMI on state of health of informal caregivers.