2021 Volume 24 Issue 3 Pages 23-33
Objective: The purpose of this study is to clarify the relationship between household roles and fatigue among community residents in their 60s.
Method: In 2016 an anonymous self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted among 4,970 residents in town A in Fukuoka Prefecture. Household roles were defined as caring for grandchildren and older adults. The survey consisted of household role, living conditions, health behavior, health condition, and fatigue. After calculating descriptive statistics, hierarchical binomial logistic regression analysis was conducted with physical fatigue and mental fatigue as dependent variables.
Results: Of the 2,052 respondents (recovery rate 41.2%), 1,990 were included in the analysis. Household roles were as follows: 11% of men and 16% of women only took care of their grandchildren, 13% of men and 15% of women only took care of older adults, and 2.6% of men and 2.2% of women took care of both of them. The fatigue of men was not related to their household roles, while the physical fatigue of women was high when they took care of both grandchildren and older adults（OR=3.16，95％ CI:1.39 ～ 7.20）, and when they only took care of older adults（OR=2.52,95 ％ CI:1．57 ～ 4.05）. And mental fatigue was high when they only took care of older adults（OR=1.72，95 ％ CI:1.07 ～ 2.75）. Health consciousness and living conditions were associated with both physical and mental fatigue in both men and women.
Discussion: This study examined the relationship between fatigue and household roles in a suburban community in the 60s. The results showed that there were sex differences in the relationship between household roles and fatigue.
