Informal, unpaid caregivers provide important support to family members, friends, and the health care system and might compromise their own health to provide this support. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has labeled caregiving a public health issue of increasing importance and recently released data on the self-reported health status of informal unpaid caregivers.

According to their analysis, 19.2% of caregivers across all states reported being in fair or poor health, although significant state-to-state variation occurred. Among those who were not currently caregivers, 16.7% reported that they expected to become caregivers within the next 2 years.

While this national data is useful, the CDC did not receive data from four states, including Massachusetts.