Family caregivers’ subjective poverty: the effect of nutritional guidance on their quality of life

Abstract Background Family caregiving may increase the risk of poverty, whereas poverty increases the risk of adverse health outcomes, creating health inequalities. Although the issue is significant, family caregivers’ social determinants of health are little assessed in the previous intervention studies. Therefore, we aimed to assess the effects of individually tailored nutritional guidance on financially vulnerable family caregivers’ quality of life and nutritional status. Methods The data were collected between June 2019 to June 2020. Study participants (n = 113) were randomized into intervention (n = 63) and control (n = 50) groups and further divided into those experiencing subjective poverty (n = 36) or financial security (n = 77). The intervention group received individually tailored nutritional guidance. Paired samples t-test, McNemar's test, or alternatives were used to assess the intervention's effectiveness on quality of life and nutrition. Results The preliminary results show that family caregivers who experienced subjective poverty had a lower overall quality of life (p