The Influence of Socio-Demographic Characteristics on Caregivers' Burden and Quality Of Life of Elderly Diabetics Attending a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital

Caregivers' burden and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) associated with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) are affected by several factors, including socio-demographic characteristics of the patients and their caregivers. Unfortunately, studies evaluating the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on caregivers and patients with DM in this environment are limited. This study therefore aimed at assessing the level of the burden imposed on the primary caregivers, the level of HRQoL of Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus (IDM) and the influence of socio-demographic characteristics on these variables among IDM attending the Family Medicine clinic of Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, Osun State, Nigeria. Seventy-eight consenting IDM and their corresponding primary caregivers were recruited over 13-weeks in this hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study. The Well-Being Questionnaire and Zarit Burden Interview were administered on IDM and their corresponding caregivers to assess HRQoL and burden of care. Data were analysed on SPSS 17 using descriptive statistics and Pearson chi-square test at p