The relationship of health activation with risk of future cardiovascular disease among rural family caregivers of patients with chronic illnesses

Background Family caregivers are at higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) than non‐caregivers. This risk is worse for those who live in rural compared to urban areas. Health activation, an indicator of engagement in self‐care, is predictive of health outcomes and CVD risk in several populations. However, it is not known whether health activation is associated with CVD risk in rural caregivers of patients with chronic illnesses nor is it clear whether sex moderates any association. Objectives Our aims were to determine (1) whether health activation independently predicts 10‐year CVD risk; and (2) whether sex interacts with health activation in the prediction of 10‐year CVD risk among rural family caregivers (N = 247) of patients with chronic illnesses. Methods Health activation was measured using the Patient Activation Measure. The predicted 10‐year risk of CVD was assessed using the Framingham Risk Score. Data were analyzed using nonlinear regression analysis. Results Higher levels of health activation were significantly associated with decreased risk of developing CVD (p