SynopsisA survey was made of 274 non-institutionalized persons aged 70 and over living in Hobart. The prevalence of dementia and of depression was measured by interviewing subjects using a modified version of the Geriatric Mental State Schedule (GMS) (Copeland et al. 1976) and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) (Folstein et al. 1975). Rates of morbidity were derived from different diagnostic procedures. These were: (1) diagnoses made by a psychiatrist (A.S.H.) directly from the interview schedules and audiotapes, and rated as mild, moderate or severe; (2) the criteria laid down in DSM-III, converted into algorithms describing 3 degrees of severity; and (3) the algorithms for pervasive dementia and depression proposed by Gurland et al. (1983), and from these authors' rational scales. In addition, the relation between scales for dementia and for depression and the diagnosed categories was examined. Some problems in applying these methods to aged persons in the community are discussed. It is concluded that more detailed specification of criteria is desirable if the comparative epidemiology of dementia and depression in old age is to advance.

SynopsisIn a community sample of the elderly (N = 274) in Hobart, Tasmania, cases of dementia and depression were ascertained by the Canberra Geriatric Mental State and the Mini Mental State Examination. Social relationships and support were examined by means of the Interview Schedule for Social Interaction. The elderly had fewer social relationships than younger adults, but were more content with what they did have. Elderly women had more affectional ties than elderly men. The presence of offspring in the same town increased the number of close ties and of social relationships, but was more important for men than for women. Persons with cognitive impairment or an established dementia reported that they had less social interaction than they would like. Depressed subjects reported having markedly less social interaction than the mentally healthy elderly, but did not complain that it was too little. This study provides a systematic description of the social environment of the elderly, both in mental health and in states of depression or impaired cognition.

Measuring diet quality over time is important due to health impacts, but to our knowledge, a Dietary Guideline Index (DGI) with consistent scoring across childhood/adolescence (youth) and adulthood has not been validated. We hypothesized that a DGI that reflected age-and sex-specific guidelines would be a valid measure of diet quality in youth and adulthood. The DGI is based on the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines to reflect current understanding of diet quality, and comprises nine indicators, with a maximum score of 100 points. DGI scores were calculated for participants of the Australian Childhood Determinants of Adult Health study, which included a 24-hour food record during youth (1985, n=5043, age: 10-15 years), and a 127-item food frequency questionnaire during adulthood (2004-06, n=2689, age: 26-36 years). We evaluated construct validity (distribution of scores, principal components analysis, correlation with nutrient density of intakes) and criterion validity (linear regression with population characteristics). DGI scores were multidimensional in underlying structure and normally distributed. Among youth, a lower DGI was significantly associated (p<0.05) with smoking, and lower academic achievement and socioeconomic status. DGI scores were negatively correlated with energy, sugar and fat, and positively correlated with fiber, protein and micronutrients. Among adults, a lower DGI was associated with lower education and self-reported health, and higher waist circumference, insulin resistance, and total and LDL serum cholesterol. The DGI is an appropriate measure of diet quality in youth and adulthood as higher scores reflect nutrient-dense, rather than energy-dense intake, and discriminate between population characteristics consistent with the literature.