Depression and its determinants among elderly in selected villages of Puducherry – A community-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Depression is the leading cause of disease burden in most regions of the world. But depression among the elderly is usually unrecognized and they have higher morbidity and mortality than those without depression. AIMS: To estimate the prevalence of depression among the elderly and identifying its determinants in selected villages of Puducherry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a community-based cross-sectional study conducted in three villages in Puducherry. Systematic random sampling is done to select households. Any person above the age of 60 years is considered as elderly. After obtaining informed consent, a pretested questionnaire is administered to obtain sociodemographic characteristics. Height and weight were measured. Chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, osteoarthritis, reduced vision, hard of hearing, and substance use were self-reported. Geriatric Depression Scale – Short form questionnaire was used as a screening tool for depression. RESULTS: Among the 359 participants, 57% were females. The mean (standard deviation) age of the participants was 67.4 (5.9) years. The majority of them belonged to nuclear family (88%), had no formal education (62%), were unemployed (69%), currently married (68%), and receiving a pension (81%). The prevalence of depression among elderly age 60 years and above is 69% [95% confidence interval (CI) 63.6–73.1). Binary logistic regression showed that single/widow [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 3.9, 95% CI 2.0–7.5] and hard of hearing (aOR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.1–4.1) are significant risk factors for depression. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of depression among elderly in this rural area is high. All elderly persons must be screened for depression and appropriate treatment should be initiated.