title: Effects of universal screening for depression among middle-aged adults in a community with a high suicide rate.
abstract: We examined the effect of a community-based screening program on depression in middle-aged individuals. Ten subdistricts constituting a rural township (2400 inhabitants aged 40-64 years) in northern Japan with a high suicide rate were randomly assigned to intervention (four) and control (six) groups. A 2-year depression-screening program entailing identification and subsequent care support was offered to adults aged 40 to 64 years in the intervention group, accompanied by 4-year ongoing dissemination of educational information in both groups. Change in depressive symptom prevalence was assessed through before-and-after cross-sectional surveys using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale. Of the 900 targeted individuals, 49.2% participated in the screening. Comparison of data from these surveys after controlling for district-level clustering indicated a greater difference in prevalence between baseline and 5-year follow-up in the intervention group than that in the control. Universal screening and subsequent support seem effective to decrease depressive symptom prevalence among middle-aged individuals in a community setting.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Aomori University of Health and Welfare, Aomori, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oyama
authors.forename: Tomoe
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakashita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome