Table 1 Characteristics of informal caregivers and non-caregivers (N = 11,674)
Characteristic | Overall | Caregivers | Non-caregivers | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
n (weighted %) | n (weighted %) | n (weighted %) | ||
Care recipient’s need for care | ||||
 Type of care provided | ||||
  Healthcare a | ||||
   Yes | 592 (83.6) | 592 (83.6) | n/a | – |
   No | 84 (11.8) | 84 (11.8) | n/a | – |
  Personal care and others a | ||||
   No | 550 (19.2) | 550 (19.2) | n/a | – |
   Yes | 125 (76.1) | 125 (76.1) | n/a | – |
Individual dispositional factors | ||||
 Sex | ||||
  Male | 5517 (49.9) | 275 (38.3) | 5242 (50.6) | < 0.001 |
  Female | 6157 (50.1) | 424 (61.7) | 5733 (49.4) |  |
 Age group (years) | ||||
  18–35 | 3729 (44.4) | 149 (32.7) | 3580 (45.1) | < 0.001 |
  36–59 | 5441 (40.8) | 376 (48.8) | 5065 (40.3) |  |
  60 and above | 2504 (14.8) | 174 (18.5) | 2330 (14.5) |  |
 Marital statusa | ||||
  Not married | 3738 (37.0) | 201 (32.4) | 3537 (37.3) | 0.055 |
  Married | 7927 (62.9) | 498 (67.6) | 7429 (62.6) |  |
 Ethnicity | ||||
  Malay | 7642 (51.3) | 469 (56.5) | 7173 (51.0) | 0.349 |
  Non-Malay | 4032 (48.7) | 230 (43.5) | 3802 (49.0) |  |
 Education levela | ||||
  No formal education | 679 (5.4) | 38 (5.9) | 641 (5.4) | 0.044 |
  Primary | 2540 (19.7) | 162 (19.0) | 2378 (19.7) |  |
  Secondary | 5554 (48.7) | 357 (52.7) | 5197 (48.5) |  |
  Tertiary | 2862 (25.8) | 142 (22.4) | 2720 (26.0) |  |
 Employment statusa | ||||
  No | 4884 (37.8) | 338 (45.5) | 4546 (37.4) | < 0.001 |
  Yes | 6781 (62.1) | 361 (54.5) | 6420 (62.6) |  |
 Household income groupa | ||||
  Low | 4791 (40.3) | 343 (46.8) | 4448 (39.9) | < 0.001 |
  Middle | 4551 (39.6) | 261 (38.1) | 4290 (39.7) |  |
  High | 2247 (19.4) | 93 (15.0) | 2154 (19.7) |  |
 Residency | ||||
  Urban | 7015 (75.6) | 424 (73.5) | 6591 (75.7) | 0.752 |
  Rural | 4769 (24.3) | 275 (26.5) | 4384 (24.3) |  |
 Received traininga | ||||
  No | 531 (76.6) | 531 (76.6) | n/a | – |
  Yes | 142 (18.4) | 142 (18.4) | n/a | – |
 Duration of care | ||||
  Less than 2 years | 237 (36.2) | 237 (36.2) | n/a | – |
  2 years and more | 462 (63.8) | 462 (63.8) | n/a | – |
 Intensity of care (in a week)a | ||||
  19 h and less | 410 (57.1) | 410 (57.1) | n/a | – |
  20 h and above | 236 (35.1) | 236 (35.1) | n/a | – |
 Self-reported illnessa | ||||
  No | 8900 (79.0) | 468 (67.3) | 8432 (79.7) | < 0.001 |
  Yes | 2747 (20.8) | 230 (32.6) | 2517 (20.1) |  |
 Perceived health statusa | ||||
  Very poor to poor | 2842 (20.7) | 199 (26.4) | 2643 (20.3) | 0.007 |
  Fair to excellent | 8751 (78.5) | 493 (72.5) | 8258 (78.9) |  |
 Presence of DM, HPT or HPCa | ||||
  No | 8142 (20.7) | 449 (68.9) | 7693 (76.4) | 0.001 |
  Yes | 3311 (78.5) | 237 (28.6) | 3074 (21.5) |  |
Contextual factors | ||||
 Living in the same household | ||||
  No | 93 (15.0) | 93 (15.0) | n/a | – |
  Yes | 606 (85.0) | 606 (85.0) | n/a | – |
 Had assistance | ||||
  No | 217 (32.4) | 217 (32.4) | n/a | – |
  Yes | 482 (67.6) | 482 (67.6) | n/a | – |