Effectiveness of individually tailored nutritional guidance on the quality of life of family caregivers experiencing subjective poverty

Abstract

Family caregivers’ social determinants of health are little assessed in previous intervention studies. We assess the extent to which diet-related disparities and inequalities in quality of life occur among family caregivers of different financial groups and if individually tailored nutritional guidance can narrow these inequalities. Data were collected between June 2019 and June 2020 at family caregivers’ households. The sample included 113 family caregivers from Finland. They were divided into intervention (n = 63) and control (n = 50) groups. The intervention group was further divided by those experiencing subjective poverty (n = 36) or financial security (n = 77) and subgroups of rural or urban participants. Family caregivers were interviewed on quality of life, nutritional variables, and sociodemographic factors. The intervention group received individually tailored nutritional guidance. Family caregivers experiencing subjective poverty had a lower overall quality of life, and physical, psychological, and environmental state of quality of life, and slightly poorer nutritional status at baseline than those who were financially secure. However, nutritional guidance improved the quality of life among family caregivers experiencing subjective poverty and somewhat narrowed inequalities in nutritional status among financial groups. Therefore, individually tailored nutritional guidance may improve the quality of life and, to some extent, the nutritional status of family caregivers experiencing subjective poverty, reducing inequalities. However, the issue requires increasing attention in caregiving research and healthcare to narrow family caregivers’ social and health inequalities.