title: Changes in health behaviors and their associations with depressive symptoms among Israelis aged 50+.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the longitudinal association between changes in health behaviors and depression and determine the mediating effect of health characteristics on this association.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on the first and second waves of the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)-Israel, depressive symptoms of 1,524 Israelis aged 50 or older were analyzed using logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Changes in physical activity and body weight are associated with depressive symptoms after adjusting for confounders. However, after adding measures of health, the respective correlations of weight gain and commenced physical activity with depression disappear, and the correlation between continued activity and depression is reduced.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Changes in health behaviors are related to mental health in late life, but their effect is mediated by physical and functional health. Future interventions should nevertheless target older individuals who stop physical activity and those who remain inactive to lessen the risk of depression.
authors.affiliation: Zefat Academic College, Israel.
authors.forename: Rabia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Khalaila
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Litwin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001835:Body Weight; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Arabs; SHARE; life style; mental health; physical activity