Association between malnutrition and depression in elderly people in Razavi Khorasan: a population based-study in Iran

ABSTRACT

To determine the prevalence of malnutrition and depression in free-living elderly people and their relationships [If any] in Razavi Khorasan, Iran 2007. To evaluate nutritional status, we used Mini Nutritional Assessment [MNA] method in free-living elderly people [n=1565 using cluster sampling, 720 males and 845 females, aged>/= 60 yr] and their relationship to Socio Economic Conditions [SECs]. Based on the final scores, our patients were classified into three groups score 17-23.5 [at risk for malnutrition], score less than 17 [with malnutrition], and score 24-30 [well nourished]. To determine the mood status [here depression], we used Geriatric Depression Score [GDS]. According to this score our participants turned out to be in two distinct groups depressed [score >/=8] and non-depressed [score< 8]. From the total subjects entered the study [1495], 22.07% were depressed and 11.5% and 44% were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition respectively. In depressed group, the prevalence of malnutrition was 14.5% [48 out of 330] and the prevalence of "at risk of malnutrition" was 45.8%, whereas the prevalence of malnutrition and at risk of malnutrition in non-depressed population were 10.6% and 43.3% respectively. From the aforementioned information we have concluded that there is a significant statistical difference between the prevalence of malnutrition in depressed and non-depressed individuals [P= 0.047]. With respect to the high rate of vegetative symptoms in elderly depressed individuals, malnutrition would have a higher prevalence in the depressed people