Food insecurity and depressive symptoms among older adults assisted by the Family Health Strategy in the Northeast region of Brazil
Keywords:
Aged, Depression, Family health, Food security, Mental healthAbstract
Objective
This study aimed to investigate the association between depressive symptoms and food insecurity in households with older adults.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional, quantitative study conducted with community-dwelling older adults attended to in the Family Health Strategy in a municipality in the Brazilian Northeast. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Geriatric Depression Scale and food insecurity was assessed using the Brazilian Food Insecurity Scale. The chi-squared test was applied for a bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression was used to verify the association between depressive symptoms and food insecurity, adjusted for potential confounding variables. The significance level was p<0.05.
Results
A total of 316 older adults were evaluated, with a mean age of 70.5 (±7.5 years). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 27.5% and that of food insecurity was 63.3%, with 25.6% of households with older adults experiencing moderate/severe insecurity. In the multivariate analysis, households experiencing mild food insecurity presented 3 times (OR: 3.02; 95% CI: 1.42-6.39) more chance of developing depressive symptoms, while in those experiencing moderate/severe food insecurity the chance was 5 times higher (OR: 5.01; 95% CI: 2.30-10.92).
Conclusion
An association was found between food insecurity and depressive symptoms in households with older adults of the Family Health Strategy, with more chances for those experiencing moderate/severe food insecurity.
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