Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Caregiving Associated With Selected Cancer Risk Behaviors And Screening Utilization Among Women: Cross-Sectional Results Of The 2009 Brfss, Katherine Reeves, Kathryn Bacon, Lisa Fredman

Katherine Reeves

Background Informal caregiving is increasingly common as the U.S. population ages, and there is concern that caregivers are less likely than non-caregivers to practice health-promoting behaviors, including cancer screening. We examined caregiving effects on cancer risk behaviors and breast and cervical cancer screening in the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Methods Women age ≥41 with data on breast and cervical cancer screening were included (weighted frequency 3,478,000 women). Cancer screening was classified according to American Cancer Society guidelines. We evaluated the association of caregiving with cancer risk behaviors (obesity, physical activity, alcohol intake, smoking status, and fruit/vegetable consumption) and …