The prevalence of clinically relevant levels of depressive symptoms in middle-aged African Americans was greater than that for the general U.S. population. Community-based health programs that screen for depression and refer individuals to clinical care sites with appropriately designed systems of care for depression management should be developed. For optimal effect, these programs should concentrate their efforts in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas and address socioeconomic factors such as income inadequacy and social support in addition to the biomedical risk factors. Given the pervasive adverse effects of depression, such interventions have the potential for significantly enhancing the health of African Americans in their later years and reducing current health disparities.

No abstract