title: Nutrition risk, functional dependence, and co-morbidities affect depressive symptoms in Taiwanese aged 53 years and over: a population-based longitudinal study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of nutritional risk, functional dependence and co-morbidities with depressive symptoms in people aged 53 years and over in Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study data were obtained from a population-based longitudinal study, the Taiwan Longitudinal Study of Aging (TLSA), with a nationally representative sample of nearly-old and old Taiwanese.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of having depressive symptoms and being at risk of malnutrition/malnourishment in 1999 was 23% and 21%. Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) score, being at risk of malnutrition/malnourishment, number of self-reported co-morbidities, and activities of daily living (ADL) score were all cross-sectionally correlated with depressive symptoms (all p<.05). Being at risk of malnutrition/malnourishment and number of co-morbidities were also longitudinally associated with increased risk of subsequent depressive symptoms over four and eight years (all p<.05). The relationship between nutritional risk and subsequent depressive symptoms was stronger than the relationship between co-morbidities and ADL score and subsequent depressive symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggested that nutritional risk, co-morbidities and functional dependence are all associated with increased risks of depressive symptoms in people aged 53 years and above. Nutritional risk contributes significantly to subsequent depressive symptoms and is a strong and consistent predictor of subsequent depressive symptoms in nearly-old and old Taiwanese.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. hsinjen@gmail.com
authors.forename: Hsin-Jen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D012306:Risk; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Co-morbidities; Depressive symptoms; Elderly; Functional dependence; Nutritional risk