TABLE 1.
Patients (n = 250) and caregivers (n = 250) characteristics.
| Characteristics | Patients M ± SD or n (%) | Caregivers M ± SD or n (%) |
| Age | 70.94 ± 12.86 | 60.20 ± 13.31 |
| Gender | ||
| Male | 139(55.6) | 98(39.2) |
| Female | 111(44.4) | 152(60.8) |
| Education level | ||
| ≤ Middle school | 192(76.8) | 176(70.4) |
| >Middle school | 58(23.2) | 74(29.6) |
| Marital status | ||
| Married | 193(77.2) | 240(96.0) |
| Single/divorced/widowed | 57(22.8) | 10(4.0) |
| Years of illness (year) | 4.12 ± 5.04 | |
| Number of hospitalizations in 1 year | 1.88 ± 1.31 | |
| NYHA class | ||
| II | 29(11.6) | |
| III | 117(46.8) | |
| IV | 104(41.6) | |
| LVEF (%) | 51.32 ± 15.86 | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | ||
| <18.5 | 17(6.8) | |
| 18.5∼ | 113(45.2) | |
| 24.0∼ | 81(32.4) | |
| ≥ 28.0 | 39(15.6) | |
| CCI | 4.32 ± 1.64 | |
| Smoking | 90(36.0) | |
| Drinking | 77(30.8) | |
| Relationship to patient | ||
| Parent | 4(1.6) | |
| Spouse | 137(54.8) | |
| Daughter or son | 95(38.0) | |
| Friend | 2(0.8) | |
| Other | 12(4.8) | |
| Job | ||
| Unemployed or retired | 88(35.2) | |
| Employed | 162(64.8) | |
| Monthly income (CNY) | ||
| <2000 | 30(12.0) | |
| 2000∼ | 145(58.0) | |
| ≥ 5000 | 75(30.0) | |
| Total time spent in care (year) | ||
| ≤ 1 | 139(55.6) | |
| >1 | 111(44.4) | |
| Hours per day spent caregiving (hour) | ||
| ≤ 2 | 92(36.8) | |
| >2 | 158(63.2) | |
| Current illness | ||
| Hypertension | 39(15.6) | |
| Diabetes mellitus | 12(4.8) | |
| Heart disease | 6(2.4) | |
| Others | 3(1.2) |
NYHA, New York Heart Association; CCI, Charlson Comorbidity Index; LVEF, Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction; BMI, Body Mass Index; CNY, China Yuan.