Social Work Commons^™

Objectives. To describe thehealthcharacteristics of solo grandparentsraising grandchildrencomparedwithsingleparents. Methods. Using the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, respondents identified as a single grandparent raising a grandchild were categorized as a solo grandparent; grandparent responses were compared with single parents. Descriptive analysis compared health characteristics of 925 solo grandparents with 7,786 single parents. Results.Comparedtosingleparents,grandparentshave a higher prevalence of physical health problems (e.g., arthritis). Both parent groups have a high prevalence of lifetime depression. Alarger share of grandparents actively smoke and did no recreational physical exercise in the last month. However, grandparents appear to have better access to health services in comparison …