Factors associated with the self-reported health status of female caregivers of AIDS patients.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on women who were family caregivers of spouses with AIDS, living in the Bumbu Zone, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Eighty caregivers were randomly selected from a client visitation list of the home-based care program for AIDS patients. A semistructured questionnaire was used in face-to-face interviews. A self-reported health status score was calculated using five items from the questionnaire. The self-reported health of female caregivers indicates poor health. Lower caregiver health is associated with lower income, rented accommodation, little support, and stigmatization of the caregiver by relatives.