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Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults in Mexico City

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ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND

Ageing and depression are associated with disability and have significant consequences for health systems in many other developing countries. Depression prevalence figures among the elderly are scarce in developing countries.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and their cross-sectional association with selected covariates in a community sample of Mexico City older adults affiliated to the main healthcare provider.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, multistage community survey.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 7,449 persons aged 60 years and older.

MEASUREMENTS

Depression was assessed using the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS); cognitive impairment, using the Mini-Mental State Examination; and health-related quality of life with the SF-36 questionnaire.

MAIN RESULTS

The prevalence of significant depressive symptoms was estimated to be 21.7%, and 25.3% in those aged 80 and older. After correcting for GDS sensitivity and specificity, major depression prevalence was estimated at 13.2%. Comparisons that follow are adjusted for age, sex, education and stressful life events. The prevalence of cognitive impairment was estimated to be 18.9% in depressed elderly and 13.7% in non-depressed. SF-36 overall scores were 48.0 in depressed participants and 68.2 in non-depressed (adjusted mean difference = −20.2, 95% CI = −21.3, −19.1). Compared to non-depressed elderly, the odds of healthcare utilization were higher among those depressed, both for any health problem (aOR 1.4, 95% CI = 1.1, 1.7) and for emotional problems (aOR 2.7, 95% CI = 2.2, 3.2).

CONCLUSIONS

According to GDS estimates, one of every eight Mexican older adults had major depressive symptoms. Detection and management of older patients with depression should be a high priority in developing countries.

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Acknowledgements

This project was supported by grants from CONACyT (México) 2002-CO1-6868, Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS 2002-382), and NIH-FIRCA R03 TW005888.

Dr. Wagner was funded through grant DA 17796 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and P60-MD002217 from the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

Conflict of Interest

None disclosed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unidad de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios de Salud, Area Envejecimiento, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI (CMN-SXXI), Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Mexico, Mexico

    Carmen García-Peña MD, MSc, PhD, Sergio Sánchez-Garcia CD, MSc, Teresa Juárez-Cedillo QFB, MSc, Claudia Espinel-Bermúdez OD, MSc, José Juan García-Gonzalez MD, MSc & Francisco Franco-Marina MD, MSc, ScD

  2. Drug Abuse Research Program, Center for Health Disparities Solutions, School of Community Health and Policy, Morgan State University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Fernando A. Wagner MPH, ScD

  3. Unidad de Investigación Epidemiológica y en Servicios de Salud, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Morelos, Mexico

    Katia Gallegos-Carrillo MSc

  4. Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Joseph J. Gallo MD, MPH

  5. División de Epidemiología, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación (INR), Mexico, Mexico

    Francisco Franco-Marina MD, MSc, ScD

Authors
  1. Carmen García-Peña MD, MSc, PhD
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  2. Fernando A. Wagner MPH, ScD
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  3. Sergio Sánchez-Garcia CD, MSc
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  6. José Juan García-Gonzalez MD, MSc
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  9. Joseph J. Gallo MD, MPH
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carmen García-Peña MD, MSc, PhD.

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García-Peña, C., Wagner, F.A., Sánchez-Garcia, S. et al. Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults in Mexico City. J GEN INTERN MED 23, 1973–1980 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-008-0799-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-008-0799-2

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