Little information exists about caregivers of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Our aims were to describe the characteristics of a sample of caregivers of persons with MS, assess their perceived burden, health-related quality of life, and investigate factors influencing this burden. We studied 278 caregivers of persons with MS, recruited from a Spanish cross-sectional survey, measuring health-related quality of life by the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and burden by the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview. Of the caregivers, 56.8% were female and their mean age was 50.1 ± 12.6 years. Their main relationship with the person with MS was spouse/partner (52.9%) and son or daughter (25.9%). Caregiver General Health, Mental Health, Bodily Pain, and Role-emotional Functioning were the most affected dimensions on the SF-36. Multiple regression analysis showed that independent and significant predictors of burden were Role-emotional Functioning and Vitality dimensions SF-36 scores of caregivers, and the Expanded Disability Status Scale scores. The total adjusted variance explained by these variables (adjusted R²) was 0.512. Emotional factors and the disability of the person with MS were major predictors of burden. Psychological and social support should be considered to reduce caregiver burden.

Background Most people with dementia in Spain live at home with their families. Current changes in the family structure are transforming the care of people with dementia through new cohabitation arrangenments and rotation practices. Objective To describe the cohabitation arrangements of families of people with dementia in Spain and to understand the caregivers' characteristics related to rotation and the rejection of long term care institutions. Methods A cross sectional study -NEDICES study- was conducted using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.150 caregivers of people with dementia from two communities from Madrid, Spain, were surveyed using a questionnaire designed to describe cohabitation arrangements and care. Qualitative methods included: 13 caregivers participating in focus groups, and 3 caregivers in Semi Structured Interviews aimed to understand rotation practices and rejection to long term care institution. Results Characteristics related with rotation were: sex of persons with dementia, widowhood, socio-economic status, caregiver relationship and burden of the caregiver. The qualitative study showed that the use of the rotation was related to normative behaviors and with obligation feelings, along with a change in the role of women in the current Spanish family. The use of long term care institutions was related to geographical distance of the family. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that rotation has appeared in Spain as a new mechanism of care for people with dementia, and its related to the rejection of long term care institutions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Context: Nutrition plays a critical role in adolescence. Adolescents are vulnerable to the impact of different factors that distance them from healthy habits, increasing their risk of chronic diseases in adulthood. Qualitative methodologies allow for a better understanding of these factors. Objective: This systematic review aims to consolidate qualitative research evidence from the past 10 years to analyze the facilitators and barriers influencing adolescents’ eating behaviors. Data Sources: Databases searched for relevant studies were Scopus, Medline/PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Data Extraction: A total of 4176 records were identified. The authors used the GRADE-CERQual (Confidence in Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research) quality-assessment tool. Results: Fifty articles with qualitative or mixed methodologies were finally included. The most applied techniques were focus groups and semi-structured interviews. The factors influencing adolescents’ diets were classified into 4 dimensions: individual, social, community, and macrosystem factors. The most influential were the following—(1) at the individual level: gender (facilitator or barrier), taste and appearance of food (barrier), and lack of time (barrier); (2) at the social level: parents’ and caregivers’ influence (facilitator or barrier), peer group influence (barrier), and socioeconomic position (barrier); (3) at the community level: school food environment (facilitator or barrier), neighborhood food environment (barrier), household food environment (facilitator or barrier), food insecurity (barrier), and availability and affordability of ultra-processed foods (barrier); and (4) at the macrosystem level: digital tools (facilitator or barrier). Conclusions: This systematic review identified several facilitators and barriers influencing eating behaviors among adolescents. Qualitative research provides a rich source of knowledge to inform interventions aimed at improving adolescents' diets. Qualitative research is very useful for collecting researches that help to implement intervention programs that improve adolescent nutrition.