title: Depressive Symptoms and Behavior-Related Risk Factors, Italian Population-Based Surveillance System, 2013.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Depression may increase the likelihood of adopting behaviors risky to health. Population studies investigating the association between depressive symptoms and behavior-related risk factors are lacking in Italy. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of various self-reported behavior-related risk factors and to study their associations with current depressive symptoms in the Italian adult general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data collected in 2013 from people aged 18 to 69 years participating in the Italian behavioral risk factor surveillance system were used for the analysis. Indicators of no leisure-time physical activity, obesity, cigarette smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption were investigated. Depressive symptoms were explored through the Patient Health Questionnaire-2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the survey sample of 39,463 participants, 34.4% of adults engaged in no leisure-time physical activity, 26.2% were cigarette smokers, 11.5% were excessive alcohol consumers, and 10.3% were obese. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 6.2%. People with depressive symptoms were more likely to be physically inactive (adjusted prevalence ratio [APR], 1.13), cigarette smokers (APR, 1.34), obese (APR, 1.27) and excessive alcohol consumers (APR, 1.43) than those without depressive symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The contribution of this study to the existing evidence lies not just in confirming the association between depression and behavior-related risk factors in the Italian context but also in suggesting that programs for simultaneously improving people's mental and physical health should be developed and implemented.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gigantesco
authors.affiliation: Viale Regina Elena, 299 00161 Rome, Italy. Email: gianluigi.ferrante@iss.it.
authors.forename: Gianluigi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrante
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baldissera
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Masocco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult