Multiple risk behaviour intervention to prevent depression in primary care

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Preventive Medicine
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Primary care settings are ideal for health promotion and prevention.
• Multiple risk behaviour interventions offer advantages over single-risk approaches.
• These interventions can be integrated into primary care to prevent non-communicable diseases and depression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a multiple risk behaviour intervention.
• The intervention aimed to promote Mediterranean diet, physical activity, and smoking cessation.
• Target population included individuals attending Spanish primary healthcare with depression incidence or symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of the EIRA study.
• Randomized trial involving 26 primary care centers comparing intervention to usual care.
• Intervention included individual/group sessions, community activities, and SMS; follow-up was 10-14 months.

Main Results:

• 3,067 participants (45.13% female, 93.88% Spanish) aged 45-75 were included.
• Depression incidence and symptom reduction were primary outcomes.
• Effectiveness was measured using PHQ-9 and CIDI depression section; predictive models used regression analysis.

Conclusions:

• Primary care offers accessible opportunities for health education and prevention.
• This study provides evidence on the efficacy of multiple risk behaviour interventions for depression prevention.
• Integrating such interventions in primary care can enhance population mental health.