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Caregiver's Health Is Strong Predictor Of Orphan's Health

June 12, 2012 
by Geelea Seaford

The health of a caregiver is the most important predictor of orphan health, according to a new Duke University study that spans five less-wealthy nations in Africa and Asia.

More important than an orphan’s geographic location, living conditions or past trauma, the Duke study finds that an unhealthy caregiver likely means an unhealthy child.

The findings prompt Duke researchers to call for international orphan policies to place greater attention on assessing and treating an orphan and his caregiver's health together, rather than focusing solely on children’s health.

Published in PLoS One today, the study of more than 1,300 randomly selected orphans and abandoned children from six diverse settings found strong and consistent associations between poorer child health and poorer health among their caregivers. One in five children was in fair or poor health, with one in four reporting symptoms like fever, cough and/or diarrhea in the previous two weeks. Forty-five percent of the caregivers in the study reported their own health to be fair or poor, and one out of four also had similar symptoms in the past two weeks.

Children in fair or poor health were also more likely to have suffered additional traumatic events beyond losing a parent and to receive fewer than three meals a day. However, children whose caregivers were more involved in their lives and well-being were less likely to be sick or unhealthy.

The multi-site study included community-dwelling orphans ages 6-12 and their caregivers from six culturally- and economically-diverse sites across five countries: Cambodia, Ethiopia, India, Kenya and Tanzania. All of the children in the study have survived the death of one parent or were abandoned by both parents.

Of 153 million children orphaned worldwide, 145 million reside in less-wealthy nations where high rates of HIV/AIDS and other diseases like malaria and tuberculosis claim thousands of lives every day.