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. 2020 Dec 19;17(24):9531.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph17249531.

How Many Older Informal Caregivers Are There in Europe? Comparison of Estimates of Their Prevalence from Three European Surveys

Aviad Tur-Sinai  1   2 , Andrea Teti  3 , Alexander Rommel  4 , Valentina Hlebec  5 , Giovanni Lamura  6
Affiliations

How Many Older Informal Caregivers Are There in Europe? Comparison of Estimates of Their Prevalence from Three European Surveys

Aviad Tur-Sinai et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Informal caregivers are people providing some type of unpaid, ongoing assistance to a person with a chronic illness or disability. Long-term care measures and policies cannot take place without taking into account the quantitatively crucial role played by informal caregivers. We use the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS), the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), and the Study on Health and Ageing in Europe (SHARE) to measure the prevalence of informal caregivers in the European population, and analyze associated socio-demographic factors. This rate ranges between about 13 percent in Portugal and Spain, and more than 22 percent in Luxembourg, Belgium, and Denmark. It declines in older age groups and, on average, is lower in men than in women in all countries studied, and lower among the poorly educated compared to those with higher levels of education. However, large variance was observed in the average share of informal caregivers for most countries between the three surveys. Our findings, estimated through the three surveys, reveal common trends, but also a series of disparities. Additional research will be needed to enable policy makers to access a richer and more harmonized body of data, allowing them to adopt truly evidence-based and targeted policies and interventions in this field.

Keywords: harmonization; informal caregiver; survey; unpaid care.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
EHIS, SHARE and EQLS: Informal Caregivers over 50 (weighted), (percent). SHARE = Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe; EHIS = European Health Interview Survey; EQLS = European Quality of Life Survey.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Informal Caregivers over 50 among males (weighted) (percent). EQLS = European Quality of Life Survey; SHARE = Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe; EHIS = European Health Interview Survey; AV=Average.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Informal Caregivers over 50 among females (weighted) (percent). EQLS = European Quality of Life Survey; SHARE = Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe; EHIS = European Health Interview Survey; AV=Average.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Difference between Informal Caregivers over 50 and average, males (weighted) (percent). EQLS = European Quality of Life Survey; SHARE = Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe; EHIS = European Health Interview Survey.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Difference between Informal Caregivers over 50 and average, females (weighted) (percent). EQLS = European Quality of Life Survey; SHARE = Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe; EHIS = European Health Interview Survey; AV = Average.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Informal Caregivers over 50, by age group (weighted) (percent) (a) Age 50–54 (b) Age 55–59 (c) Age 60–64 (d) Age 65–69 (e) Age 70–74 (f) Age 75+ (Small sample size regarding Slovenia, Estonia and Luxemburg; therefore results should be interpreted with caution). EQLS = European Quality of Life Survey; SHARE = Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe; EHIS = European Health Interview Survey; AV = Average.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Informal Caregivers over 50, by education level (weighted) (percent) (a) lower education; (b)medium education; (c) higher education. EQLS = European Quality of Life Survey; SHARE = Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe; EHIS = European Health Interview Survey; AV = Average
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