Implementation behavior of communities regarding relatives caring for people with dementia: A quantitative study among German communities

Abstract

Background: Actors from the community (CAs) play a fundamental role in the support of caring relatives (CRs) of people with dementia (PWD). As their support is not sufficient, the implementation of support services needs to be optimized; however, little is known about the factors associated with the implementation behavior of CAs. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the association of person-related factors with the implementation behavior of CAs. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 205 CAs from 16 German communities were surveyed with the community implementation behaviour questionnaire (CIBQ), which is based on the theoretical domains framework. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify person-related factors associated with the implementation behavior regarding support services for CRs of PWD. Results: Implementing support services for CRs of PWD is positively and significantly (p < 0.001) associated with the agreement of CAs with the CIBQ domains. Higher scores in the CIBQ increase the chance that CAs implemented support services for the target group. Conclusion: The CIBQ is a tool to determine the status of implementation behavior of communities. This enables an analysis of the areas CAs need to work on in order to optimize the implementation of support services for CRs of PWD or other health and care-related topics.