title: Depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women: results from the MEDIS Study.
abstract: Data regarding the factors associated with depressive symptoms are limited, especially in postmenopausal women. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent depressive symptoms were present in postmenopausal women, to explore characteristics associated with depressive symptoms and to determine if time since menopause was independently associated with depressive symptoms. Data collected within the Mediterranean Islands (MEDIS) Study, a health and nutrition survey of elderly people living on Mediterranean islands was used. A total of 851 postmenopausal women living in various Greek islands, Cyprus, and Malta participated in the study. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Age-adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that a year's increase in the time since menopause increased the likelihood of postmenopausal women having severe depressive symptoms by 3% (odds ratio [OR] per 1 year = 1.03, 95% CI 1.001-1.05). This positive association was also evident when other potential confounding factors (i.e, living conditions, financial status, physical activity, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, smoking habits, and several clinical conditions) were also taken into account in multivariable analyses. Primary health care practitioners and public health care authorities could use the findings of this study to identify depressive symptoms early in postmenopausal women.
authors.affiliation: a Clinic of Social and Family Medicine, School of Medicine , University of Crete , Heraklion , Greece.
authors.forename: Ioanna G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Tsiligianni
authors.forename: Stefanos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tyrovolas
authors.forename: Vassiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bountziouka
authors.forename: Akis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zeimbekis
authors.forename: Efthimios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gotsis
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Metallinos
authors.forename: Dimitra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tyrovola
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Polychronopoulos
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lionis
authors.forename: Demosthenes
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Panagiotakos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D008521:Mediterranean Islands; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011159:Population Surveillance; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: MEDIS; depressive symptoms; postmenopausal women