Prevalência de depressão em idosos e fatores associados.

Abstract

It is a cross-sectional, population-based study and it aimed to identify the prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors in the elderly population of Bage, RS in 2008. The study was carried out with 1,593 individuals aging 60 years or elder living in the urban area; the depressive symptoms were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale containing 15 items with cutoff 5/6 sensitivity of 85.4% and specificity of 73.9% for the diagnosis of major depressive episode. The analysis was performed using Poisson regression model. In the adjusted analyzes, it was found that the depression was statistically associated (p <0.05) with elderly female, non-white skin color, lower socioeconomic class, being retired, with a history of cardiac problems, with inability to basic and instrumental activities of daily living, worst health perception and dissatisfaction with their overall life. The great prevalence of depressive symptoms in the population 18.0% (95% CI: 16.1, 19.9) requires investment in preventive actions noting the need for practices that promote active aging along with the maintenance of functional activity, the improvement in self-rated health and life satisfaction.