Quality of Life and Cardiovascular Risk in Paid Elderly Caregivers from Baixada Santista

• Grant number: 24/10142-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Camila Aparecida Machado de Oliveira
• Grantee: Camila Aparecida Machado de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Saúde e Sociedade (ISS). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Angelina Zanesco ; Ricardo da Costa Padovani

Abstract

Population aging is a major challenge for the social transformation of the century, which makes it increasingly necessary for elderly caregivers who work both in institutions and in homes. The demographic census has shown profound changes in Brazilian society, such as fewer children in families and greater access to education for women, increasing their insertion in the labor market, determining changes in the task of caring, that is, greater professionalization and the need for specific legislation for these professionals. In this sense, evaluating the quality of life and possible biomarkers for cardiovascular risk of these workers, who have very different demands from other professional categories such as the number of elderly people under their care, is extremely relevant for primary and secondary prevention in the area of occupational health, given the rapid population aging of our society. Particularly, Baixada Santista has a significant number of elderly people, being the third city in the state of São Paulo with the highest number of centenarians. Objective: In view of the above, this project has two questions: 1) Is there a difference in quality of life between paid caregivers of elderly people in long-term care facility (LTCFs) and at home? 2) Is there a relationship between the questionnaire scores and the plasma biomarkers of occupational stress of these professionals? The first question refers to the risk factors for the quality of life of these paid caregivers who work in LTCFs or at home, such as stress, anxiety, depression, caregiving burden, sleep quality, and total and work-related physical activity. The second question may provide a better diagnosis of the work overload of these professionals, both in primary and secondary prevention within public health policies. Methodology: a total of 176 caregivers will be invited and divided into two groups: G1: workers in institutions and G2: paid home-based workers. We will assess quality of life (WHOQOL-Bref questionnaire); caregiver burden inventory; stress, anxiety, and depression (DASS-21 scale) and plasma cortisol; sleep quality (Pittsburg questionnaire); and subjective (Baecke questionnaire) and objective (accelerometry) physical activity. Cardiovascular risk assessment by fasting plasma levels: glucose, glycated hemoglobin, insulin, lipid profile and C-reactive protein, in addition to waist circumference and body mass index. Socioeconomic status will be assessed for potential confounders in the analyses. After normality tests, appropriate parametric/nonparametric tests will be applied, as well as Pearson or Spearman correlation analyses. For comparison between groups, the multiple linear regression model or generalized linear model (GzLM) and generalized mixed model (GzMM) will be used. Data will be presented as mean and SD, and the significance level will be p<0.05. (AU)