title: Diabetes differentially affects depression and self-rated health by age in the U.S.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether the relationship between age and physical and mental health varies by diabetes status in older U.S. adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, a national sample of 3,005 adults aged 57-85 years, we tested the significance of the interaction between age and diabetes in association with health states.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Respondents with diabetes in the youngest age cohort had more medical conditions than those without diabetes, a difference that narrowed with age (P for interaction <0.01). The youngest cohort with diabetes had a higher rate of depression compared to those without diabetes (14 vs. 8%). Depression declined with age and did not differ by diabetes status in the oldest respondents (P = 0.01 for age-diabetes interaction).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Diabetes differentially affects self-rated overall health and depression by age, with convergence in the oldest age-group with and without diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. dwexler@partners.org
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Wexler
authors.forename: Bianca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Porneala
authors.forename: Yuchiao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Elbert S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jeff C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Huffman
authors.forename: Richard W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Grant
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000523:psychology*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D057566:Self Report; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology