Related Experiment Videos
Malnutrition and depression among community-dwelling elderly people
Marcos Aparecido Sarria Cabrera1, Arthur Eumann Mesas, André Ricardo Lopes Garcia
1Department of Internal Medicine, State University of Londrina, Paraná State, Brazil. marcoscabrera@uol.com.br
Objectives:
This study had the objective of analyzing the association between nutritional deficit and the presence of depression among community-dwelling elderly people.
Design:
Cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Population of elderly people living in one district of a city in southern Brazil.
Participants:
The subjects were 267 individuals aged 60 to 74 years who did not present any significant functional incapacity.
Measures:
Nutritional deficit was considered to be present if the individuals were classified as malnourished or at nutritional risk by means of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Depression was identified as regular use of antidepressives or scores higher than 5 points on the Geriatric Depression Scale.
Results:
A majority of the elderly individuals were female (59.9%). Nutritional deficit was identified in 58 elderly people (21.7%) and depression in 65 (24.3%). Nutritional deficit presented a significant association with depression, even after adjusting for control variables such as low schooling, low socioeconomic level, and smoking (OR = 4.38; 95% CI: 2.23-8.64; P < .001).
Conclusions:
The results showed that there was an independent association between nutritional deficit and depression in this population of elderly people, which emphasizes the importance of early identification of depression among individuals with nutritional disorders.
Related Concept Videos
Development of Human Microbiota
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Depression: Overview
Depressive Disorders: MDD and Dysthymia
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients