The care of children or an ill family member often falls to women, and taking care of a loved one often prevents the caregiver from taking proper care of herself. Female caregivers find it difficult to make time to get a healthy amount of exercise, according to a study published in the July 2000 issue of the American Psychological Association's Health Psychology. This lack of activity can have serious repercussions for the caregiver and increases her risk of many serious illnesses, such as heart disease and stroke. Approximately 72 percent of caregivers of elderly or ill adults are female, according to the Family Caregiving Alliance.

The study involved close to 3,000 women aged 40 or older, only nine percent of whom were regularly active. Many of the women claimed that their caregiving responsibilities prevented them from having the time, energy and motivation to exercise regularly. The study's head researcher, Abby C. King of Stanford University's Center for Research in Disease Prevention, explained that scientists, "are just beginning to understand how these caregiving acts for children and other relatives can be quite burdensome and can eat into caregivers' time to take care of themselves."

According to the Family Caregiving Alliance, 16 percent of caregivers indicated that their health had been negatively affected by the strain of caregiving. The Caregiving Alliance also reported that, "Caregivers are more likely than other persons of the same age to report themselves as in poor health, and they are significantly less likely than other persons to report that their health is good or excellent."