. 2014 Jan;43(1):137–141. doi: 10.1093/ageing/aft142

Table 2.

The prevalence of chronic illnesses in caregivers and among the general population

Prevalence of CIs	Caregivers						Adult Americans
Prevalence of CIs	Total, n = 124	Younger, n = 54	Older, n = 70	Husbands, n = 29	Wives, n = 46	Daughters, n = 34	Younger^a, 45–64 years	Older^b, 65–74 years
0	18.5	27.8	11.4	17.2	10.9	26.5	40.7	20
≥1	81.5	72.2	88.6	82.8	89.1	73.5	59.3	80
≥2	60.5	51.9*	67.1	58.6	71.7	47.1	30.7	50
M ± SD	2.0 ± 1.5	1.8 ± 1.6	2.1 ± 1.3	1.9 ± 1.2	2.3 ± 1.4	1.7 ± 1.5	–	–
HTN	33.9	24.1	41.4	24.1	58.7	11.8	32.9	55.6
Arthritis	21.8	13.0*	28.6	20.7	28.3	14.7	31.2	47.6
Back problems	9.7	9.3*	16.0^†	13.8	13.0	2.9	33.3	33.2
Heart disease	20.2	9.3	28.6	34.5	19.6	8.8	12.8	26.7
Cancer	6.5	5.6	7.1^†	10.3	8.7	0	8.8	22.7
Stroke	1.6	0	2.9	3.4	2.2	0	2.8	6.5
Lung Disease	3.2	1.9*	4.3^†	6.9	2.2	2.9	15.9	16.4
Diabetes	8.1	9.3	7.1^†	10.3	6.5	2.9	12.2	22.9
Depression	10.5	20.4*	2.9	0	6.5	20.6	4.4	2.8

Data presented as %, 0, reporting having no CIs; ≥1, reporting at least one CI; ≥2, reporting two or more CIs; HTN, hypertension.

*P < 0.05, there were statistically significant differences between younger caregivers and younger adult Americans.

^†P < 0.05, there were statistically significant differences between older caregivers and older Americans.

^aBaseline Health, Socioeconomic Status, and 10-Year Mortality among Older Middle-Aged Americans: Findings From the Health and Retirement Study, 1992–2002 (n = 9,759) [6]; the Summary health statistics for US adults: National health interview survey, 2011 (n = 87,500) [7].

^bChronic Diseases at a Glance 2009 [8], and Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: National health interview survey, 2011 (n = 87,500) [7].