Effectiveness of a Physical Therapeutic Exercise Programme for Caregivers of Dependent Patients: A Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial from Spanish Primary Care

Federico Montero-Cuadrado, Miguel Ángel Galán-Martín, Javier Sánchez-Sánchez, Enrique Lluch, Agustín Mayo-Iscar and Ántonio Cuesta-Vargas
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Federico Montero-Cuadrado: Unit for Active Coping Strategies for Pain in Primary Care, East-Valladolid Primary Care Management, Castilla and Leon Public Health System (Sacyl), 47011 Valladolid, Spain
Miguel Ángel Galán-Martín: Unit for Active Coping Strategies for Pain in Primary Care, East-Valladolid Primary Care Management, Castilla and Leon Public Health System (Sacyl), 47011 Valladolid, Spain
Javier Sánchez-Sánchez: Department of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, University Pontificia of Salamanca, 37002 Salamanca, Spain
Enrique Lluch: Department of Physical Therapy, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
Agustín Mayo-Iscar: Department of Statistics and Operational Research and IMUVA, University of Valladolid, 47005 Valladolid, Spain
Ántonio Cuesta-Vargas: Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Heath Sciences, University of Malaga, 19071 Málaga, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-23

Abstract: Female family caregivers (FFCs) constitute one of the basic supports of socio-health care for dependence in developed countries. The care provided by FFCs may impact their physical and mental health, negatively affecting their quality of life. In order to alleviate the consequences of providing care on FFCs, the Spanish Public Health System has developed the family caregiver care programme (FCCP) to be applied in primary care (PC) centres. The effectiveness of this programme is limited. To date, the addition of a physical therapeutic exercise (PTE) programme to FCCP has not been evaluated. A randomised multicentre clinical trial was carried out in two PC centres of the Spanish Public Health System. In total, 68 FFCs were recruited. The experimental group (EG) performed the usual FCCP (4 sessions, 6 h) added to a PTE programme (36 sessions in 12 weeks) whereas the control group performed the usual FCCP performed in PC. The experimental treatment improved quality of life (d = 1.17 in physical component summary), subjective burden (d = 2.38), anxiety (d = 1.52), depression (d = 1.37) and health-related physical condition (d = 2.44 in endurance). Differences between the groups ( p < 0.05) were clinically relevant in favour of the EG. The experimental treatment generates high levels of satisfaction.

Keywords: female caregivers; therapeutic exercise; public health; quality of life; primary care; physiotherapy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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