[Depression in former slave communities in Brazil: screening and associated factors]

To assess the prevalence and the factors associated with positive screening for major depressive episode (MDE) in former slave communities in the state of Bahia, Brazil.

In this population-based, cross-sectional study, 764 participants were randomly selected from five former slave communities in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Brazil. Depression was defined as a cutoff score of 10 or more points and the presence of five or more symptoms according to the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Poisson regression was used to assess prevalence ratios (PR), with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI).

Screening for MDE was positive in 12% of participants (95%CI: 10 - 14%), but only 2.3% reported a previous diagnosis. Depression was associated with self-reported poor or very poor health status (PR = 1.14; 95%CI: 1.04 - 1.26), chronic disease (PR = 1.08; 95%CI: 1.04 - 1.13), no physical activity (PR = 1.06; 95%CI: 1.01 - 1.11), and reasonable (PR = 1.07; 95%CI: 1.01 - 1.13) or poor access to health services (PR = 1.07; 95%CI: 1.02 - 1.12).

The prevalence of MDE in this population was similar to that of the general Brazilian population. The association between MDE and poor access to health services indicates a missed opportunity for early diagnosis. Public measures against social and health inequalities are necessary to ensure equity in these communities.