title: A comparison of the frequencies of risk factors for depression in older black and white participants in a study of indicated prevention.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To compare the frequencies of risk factors, we describe risks for depression as a function of race among consecutively admitted participants in a randomized clinical trial of indicated depression prevention in later life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-two black and 143 white participants were screened for risk factors for depression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Black participants were more likely to have fewer years of education and lower household income. They were more likely to be obese, live alone, experience functional disability, have a history of alcohol and drug abuse, and have lower scores on the Mini-mental State Examination and the Executive Interview (EXIT). White participants were not found to have greater prevalence or higher mean score on any risk factor. On average, black participants experienced approximately one more risk factor than white participants (t(213) = 3.32, p = 0.0011).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our sample, black participants had higher frequencies of eight risk factors for depression and a greater mean number of risk factors compared to white participants.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sriwattanakomen
authors.forename: Jesse
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McPherron
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chatman
authors.forename: Jennifer Q
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Morse
authors.forename: Lynn M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Martire
authors.forename: Jordan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Karp
authors.forename: Patricia R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Houck
authors.forename: Salem
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bensasi
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Houle
authors.forename: Jacqueline A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Stack
authors.forename: Mattie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Woods
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Block
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: Charles F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Reynolds
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000208:ethnology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology; D044465:White People