Comparison of Healthcare Utilization Between Informal Caregivers and Non-Caregivers: An Analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey.

OBJECTIVE: The demands of providing unpaid care for someone with a disabling health condition (i.e., informal caregiving) can limit attention to one's own health needs. Using a nationally representative survey, this study examines whether caregivers report different healthcare utilization relative to non-caregivers.

METHOD: Participants in the Health Information National Trends Survey 5, Cycle 1 reported whether they provided unpaid care and healthcare utilization outcomes. Logistic regressions and chi-square tests with jackknife variance estimation were used.

RESULTS: Caregivers ( N = 391) did not differ from non-caregivers ( N = 2,894) in time since routine checkup or number of healthcare appointments in the past year ( p values > .25). Among caregivers, number of healthcare appointments differed according to caregivers' relationship to the care recipient ( p = .04).

DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that informal caregivers access routine healthcare at a frequency similar to non-caregivers. Further research should determine whether this utilization is optimal, or whether increased utilization during caregiving might help attenuate caregivers' longer term morbidity.