Malnutrition and depression among community-dwelling elderly people.
OBJECTIVE
This study had the objective of analyzing the association between nutritional deficit and the presence of depression among community-dwelling elderly people.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Population of elderly people living in one district of a city in southern Brazil.


METHODS
The subjects were 267 individuals aged 60 to 74 years who did not present any significant functional incapacity.


METHODS
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.
Cabrera
Marcos Aparecido Sarria
MA
Department of Internal Medicine, State University of Londrina, Paraná State, Brazil. marcoscabrera@uol.com.br
Mesas
Arthur Eumann
AE
Garcia
André Ricardo Lopes
AR
de Andrade
Selma Maffei
SM
D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors