title: Quality of life and physical activity associated to lower prevalence of depression in community-dwelling elderly subjects from Sao Paulo.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies investigating major depression and associated factors in older people from developing countries are scarce.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study of a community-based sample of 1563 elderly subjects aged 60 years or older from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The frequency of major depression (MD) and the relationship with sociodemographic factors, cognitive and functional impairment (CFI), clinically significant depressive symptoms (CSDS) and clinical diseases were analyzed. A brief instrument for screening of depressive symptoms in elderly people, the Mini Mental State Examination, the Fuld Object Memory Evaluation, the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly, the Bayer Activities of Daily Living Scale, the Cambridge Mental Disorders of the Elderly Examination, and a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire were applied to the subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Major depression was diagnosed in 60 patients (3.8%). A higher odds ratio of MD was associated with female gender, being widowed, previous depressive episode, hypertension, use of psychotropic medication, (CFI), and alcohol use. A lower odds ratio of depression diagnosis was associated with physical activity and going to cinema.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cross-sectional design of the study; our sample was restricted only to community residents, excluding persons in hospitals or nursing homes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study shows significant association between depression and potentially modifiable factors, reinforcing the benefit of probable preventive measures, to incentive healthy lifestyle, leisure activities and the practice of physical exercise, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of CSDS, especially in primary care.
authors.affiliation: Old Age Research Group (Proter), Institute of Psychiatry, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, Sao Paulo, Brazil. barcelosfr@usp.br
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barcelos-Ferreira
authors.forename: Eduardo Yoshio
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Steffens
authors.forename: Cassio M C
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bottino
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D003906:Developing Countries; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life
keywords: Cross-sectional studies; Depressive disorder; Depressive symptoms; Elderly; Epidemiology; Prevalence