Title |
Screening for depressive symptoms in older adults in the Family Health Strategy, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Published in |
Revista de Saúde Pública, June 2014
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DOI | 10.1590/s0034-8910.2014048004660 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Eduardo Lopes Nogueira, Leonardo Librelotto Rubin, Sara de Souza Giacobbo, Irenio Gomes, Alfredo Cataldo |
Abstract |
OBJECTIVE To analyze the prevalence of depression in older adults and associated factors. METHODS Cross-sectional study using a stratified random sample of 621 individuals aged ≥ 60 from 27 family health teams in Porto Alegre, RS, Southern Brazil, between 2010 and 2012. Community health agents measured depression using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale. Scores of ≥ 6 were considered as depression and between 11 and 15 as severe depression. Poisson regression was used to search for independent associations of sociodemographic and self-perceived health with both depression and its severity. RESULTS The prevalence of depression was 30.6% and was significantly higher in women (35.9% women versus 20.9% men, p < 0.001). The variables independently associated with depression were: female gender (PR = 1.4, 95%CI 1.1;1.8); low education, especially illiteracy (PR = 1.8, 95%CI 1.2;2 6); regular self-rated health (OR = 2.2, 95%CI 1.6;3.0); and poor/very poor self-rated health (PR = 4.0, 95%CI 2.9;5.5). Except for education, the strength of association of these factors increases significantly in severe depression. CONCLUSIONS A high prevalence of depression was observed in the evaluations conducted by community health agents, professionals who are not highly specialized. The findings identified using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale in this way are similar to those in the literature, with depression more associated with low education, female gender and worse self-rated health. From a primary health care strategic point of view, the findings become still more relevant, indicating that community health agents could play an important role in identifying depression in older adults. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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South Africa | 1 | 1% |
Unknown | 82 | 99% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Student > Bachelor | 18 | 22% |
Student > Master | 14 | 17% |
Researcher | 9 | 11% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 6 | 7% |
Professor | 5 | 6% |
Other | 15 | 18% |
Unknown | 16 | 19% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
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Medicine and Dentistry | 16 | 19% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 13 | 16% |
Psychology | 9 | 11% |
Social Sciences | 6 | 7% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 3 | 4% |
Other | 18 | 22% |
Unknown | 18 | 22% |