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The occurrence of depression was determined during the summer of 1979 in a multi-ethnic probability sample of 1003 adults (66% participation) in Los Angeles County, as part of a community survey of the epidemiology of depression and help-seeking behavior. The primary measure of depression was the 20-item CES-D scale developed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies. The overall prevalence of depression based on a CES-D cutpoint definition of 16 or greater was 19.1%. The prevalence of depression was greatest among Hispanics (27.4%) and least among whites (15.6%), with blacks and others at an intermediate level (21.8% and 21.2%, respectively). Females (23.5%) were nearly twice as likely to be depressed as males (12.9%). By age, persons 18-24 years reported the highest rate of depression (27.4%), while those 45-64 years reported the lowest (16.3%). As expected, the prevalence of depression was strongly related to family income, with the highest level reported for those earning less than $8500 (29.3%); the lowest level for those earning more than $25,000 (9.0%). After controlling for effects of selected demographic and socioeconomic variables, neither race nor ethnicity were significantly related to the presence of depression. This suggests that the economic strain experienced by many minorities may be an important determinant of higher rates of depression among blacks and Hispanics.

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SUMMARY Blood pressure, height, weight, maturation, triceps skinfold thickness, serum lipids, and hemoglobin were measured as risk factors for coronary artery disease in 3,524 children (93% of the eligible population) in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Nine blood pressures were taken on each child by trained observers with mercury sphygmomanometers (Baumanoneter) and Physomerics automatic recorders in a rigid randomized design in a relaxed atmosphere with other children present. The pressures observed were low compared to reported HYPERTENSION IN ITS EARLY STAGES is poorly understood. Perhaps this is due partly to our limited understanding of the disease and its subclinical manifestations, and to the scanty information concerning its timecourse changes. Furthermore, since there is a lack of satisfactory criteria for diagnosis, the true prevalence of hypertension in children remains to be established. For example, in contrast to the clinical and anatomic manifestations in adults, similar effects and early damage to tissue are undetectable in children. Simply, the early natural history of hypertension, the evolution from youth, needs to be investigated.The measurement of blood pressure in a young age segment of a total geographic American community offers the opportunity of delineating normative values specific for age, race, and sex and serves as a background for observing early hypertension in a free-living population. At the same time, such a study offers the opportunity of describing other characteristics that act as determinants of blood pressure. This study describes detailed blood pressure measurements in a biracial population of children in a southern, semi-rural community. Materials and Methods PopulationThe population consisted of all school children, ages 5 through 14, residing in Ward 4 of Washington Parish, Louisiana, including the town of Bogalusa. Ninety-seven percent of the black children and 91% of the white children participated in the study, a total of 3,524 children. Of the study population 37% were black and 63% were white. The results for 15-year-old children are included in the graphs of the present paper for illustrative purposes, but were not included in the calculations because of incomplete population coverage. InstrumentsDuring the school year 1973-1974, indirect blood pressures were obtained on the children by the mercury sphygmomanometer (Baumanometer) and by the Physiometrics automatic blood pressure recorder. The automatic instrument is an electronic infrasonic device that records on a paper disc rotated by an aneroid manometer in open communication with an oversized rubber cuff bladder entirely encircling the upper arm. Selection of the bladder sizes for the Baumanometer cuff was based on arm measurement criteria recommended by Karvonen et al.,1 Simpson et al.,2 and King,3 but with the restrictions that commonly available bladders were used and that shorter arms require a narrower cuff in order to leave room for the stethoscope at the elbow skin crease (see Appendix). Observer TrainingAll blo...

This study assesses causal relationships among stress, social support, and depression using data collected at four points in time over one year from a community sample of 740 Los Angeles County adults. A series of latent variable causal models are tested to assess effects over time spans of 4, 8, and 12 months. Depression and support are found to be moderately and highly stable, respectively, over one year, while stress is only slightly stable. Recent stress is found to increase levels of depression from previous levels. Social support is shown to have direct negative effects on current depression and indirect effects on subsequent depression. Reciprocal causal relationships are also explored.