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Objective To determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms among elderly and correlate the agreement between the screening methods used.Methods A cross-section study of 137 elderly attending the Programa Vivendo a Terceira Idade [Living for the Elderly Program]. Depressive symptoms were screened by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, by Yesavage. Cohen´s kappa analyzed the degree of agreement of these scales.Results The prevalence of depressive symptoms screened by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was 62.8% and, by the Geriatric Depression Scale, 52.6%. The Spearman correlation between the results of scales obtained rho=0.387, p<0.000. The Kappa reliability coefficient was 0.41 and significance level of p<0.001. The screening methods showed sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 44%.Conclusion Both scales showed moderate agreement and were useful for detecting a relevant prevalence of the target outcome of depression among the elderly.

RESUMOObjetivos: Determinar a prevalência de sintomas depressivos e correlacionar a ocorrência destes com o autorrelato de quedas em idosos, utilizando a estrutura fatorial da Escala de Depressão Geriátrica de A consistência interna da EDG-15 foi avaliada pelo teste de Alpha de Cronbach, obtendo valor aceitável (0,73); o teste que verificou a aplicabilidade da escala foi o Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin, cujo coeficiente obtido (0,658) demonstrou a adequação para o método de análise fatorial. Após a aplicação da análise fatorial, destacaram-se dois fatores que agruparam oito itens extraídos da escala, capazes de explicar 68% da variância total da EDG-15. Conclusões: A prevalência da depressão foi relevante na amostra estudada. A maior carga fatorial foi representada nas dimensões de ansiedade, anedonia, medo, isolamento e apatia. A correlação entre autorrelato de quedas e sintomas depressivos foi significativa. Os dados apontam para a necessidade de maior atenção à saúde mental do idoso e enfatizam a importância de intervenções precoces de rastreamento dos sintomas depressivos visando à adoção de medidas preventivas. DECRITORES: idoso fragilizado; transtorno depressivo; acidentes por quedas. ABSTRACT Aims:To determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and correlate them with self-reported falls among the elderly using the Yesavage-15 Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from July to October 2014. Elderly volunteers from the Community Center for the Elderly located in Vitória da Conquista, State of Bahia, Brazil, participated in the study. They were selected by non-probability convenience sampling and answered the GDS-15 questionnaire after being informed about the study objectives and signing a free consent form. Results: A total of 68 elderly individuals with a mean age of 73.12±7.1 years were included in the study, and female participants accounted for 60.3% of the sample. Depressive symptoms were detected in 35 (51%) individuals, among which 23 (33.8%) were female. Falls were self-reported by 33 elderly individuals (48.5%). There was a positive and significant correlation (r=0.383, p <0.001) between self-reported falls and depressive symptoms among the participants. The internal consistency of the GDS-15 was assessed by Cronbach's alpha, which yielded an acceptable value (0.73). The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was used to verify the applicability of the GDS-15, yielding a value of 0.658, which means the scale was adequate for the factor analysis method. Two factors, into which eight items were grouped, stood out after the factor analysis and were able to explain 68% of the total variance of the GDS-15. Conclusions: The prevalence of depression was relevant. The dimensions of anxiety, anhedonia, fear, isolation, and apathy showed the largest factor loads. The correlation between self-reported falls and depressive symptoms was significant. The data indicate it is necessary to pay special attention to the mental health of the elderly and also highlight ...

Background. Lower limb fractures are associated with severe disability, prolonged treatment and recovery time, and account for the greatest number of surgical procedures. Studies focusing on the health related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients who sustained lower limb fractures at a productive age are still scarce. The aim of the present study was to assess the HRQOL of individuals who sustained lower limb fractures at two time points: during the acute trauma period (hospitalization) and after six months. Materials and methods. A prospective observational longitudinal study was conducted including a total of 121 patients aged 18 years or older with fractures in the lower limbs evaluated based on clinical and sociodemographic variables and using the HRQOL questionnaire SF-36. The data were collected from referral trauma hospitals in two stages: during hospitalization (in-hospital period) and from the same individuals six months after the first interview. Results. At six months following the trauma, significant differences were found for the domains of functional capacity (from 2.77±7.82 to 51.11±28.43), pain (47.51±35.51 to 74.29±21.63), and emotional impairment (57.01±47.62 to 91.22±22.92) in the study period. However, no improvement was observed in the domains of physical limitations and social aspects. There was significant association for the domain “Pain” with age, level of education, and rehabilitation; the domain “Emotional impairment” was associated with treatment within 10 hours, level of education, and immediate osteosynthesis. At six months, only functional capacity exhibited significant associations with the level of education and rehabilitation. Conclusion. Lower limb fractures have a negative impact on the HRQOL that persists for at least six months after the traumatic event and is reflected in the psychosocial, physical and emotional burden imposed by the trauma.

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