Associations Between Vitamin D Deficiency/Insufficiency and Depression Expose Health Disparities in Older Rural West...

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Nutritional Psychiatry
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Vitamin D (VD) deficiency is prevalent in aging populations.
• Depressive symptoms are a significant concern in the elderly.
• Ethnic and demographic factors may influence health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between Vitamin D (VD) levels and clinical depression using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).
• To examine these associations stratified by demographics and Hispanic/Latino ethnicity (HLE).

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 299 Project FRONTIER participants (mean age 62.6 years).
• Assessed VD levels (serum 25(OH)-VD) and categorized them into deficiency, insufficiency, sufficiency, and high sufficiency.
• Employed correlation and regression analyses, stratifying by HLE status.

Main Results:

• A significant negative association was observed between VD levels and total GDS scores.
• Lower VD levels correlated with Dysphoria and Meaninglessness subfactors.
• Hispanic/Latino individuals showed significantly lower VD levels and were overrepresented in deficiency/insufficiency categories.

Conclusions:

• A significant negative association exists between VD levels and depressive symptoms in older adults.
• Hispanic/Latino populations exhibit disparities in VD levels and are disproportionately affected by VD deficiency/insufficiency.
• Results highlight the need to address VD-related disparities in depression among diverse aging populations.