Objective:The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of depression and to explore the association of specific chronic conditions as well as multi-morbidity with depression among the older population. Method:The study utilized data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India Wave 1 (2017)(2018). The total sample size for the present study was 31,464 older adults aged 60 and above, including 14,931 males and 16,533 females. Descriptive statistics along with bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to fulfil the objectives. Results:The overall prevalence of depression among the elderly population in India was 8.7%. Older women had shown a greater prevalence rate of depression than older men. Among chronic conditions, hypertension, stroke, and bone-related diseases were found to be significantly associated with depression in the case of both men and women. The prevalence of depression among older adults with three or more chronic conditions was higher in males (14.5%) than in females (11.2%). The association between the number of chronic conditions and depression exhibited a linear trend with an increased odds ratio indicating a higher risk of depression among older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Conclusion:Older individuals with a greater number of chronic illnesses have a higher risk of depression and the risk is proportional to the number of chronic conditions. This signifies the need for the identification of depressive symptoms at an early stage by focussing on the elderly suffering from chronic conditions and educating family members and the community about effective treatments and counselling.

Objective:The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of visual and hearing impairment as well as to investigate their association with depression among individuals aged 45 and above in India. Methods:The study utilized data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI)Wave 1, . The total sample size of this study was 65,562 individuals aged 45 and above. Descriptive statistics along with bivariate and multivariable analyses were performed to fulfill the objectives. Results:The prevalence of visual impairment in the study population was 32.1 percent, whereas the prevalence of self-reported hearing impairment was 6.9 percent. In the logistic regression models, both visual impairment [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)-1.06; 95% Confidence interval (CI):0.99-1.14] as well as hearing impairment [AOR-1.25; 95% CI:1.11-1.41] were found to be significantly associated with depression. Moreover, individuals with a single impairment were 8 percent [AOR-1.08; 95% CI: 1.01-1.16] and individuals with dual impairment were 36 percent [AOR-1.36; 95% CI:1.13-1.65] significantly more likely to have depression. Conclusion:Individuals with sensory impairment were more likely to suffer from depression and the risk was significantly higher among individuals with dual impairment. Therefore, clinicians dealing with individuals with sensory impairments must be aware of the likelihood of comorbid depression in order to provide timely screening and treatment.

Background The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of insomnia symptoms and to examine the associations of body mass index (BMI), chronic diseases, and lifestyle factors with self-reported insomnia symptoms among older people in India. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the baseline wave of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) that was collected during 2017–18. A sample of 31,358 older adults aged 60 and above was included in the analyses. Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariable analyses were performed to obtain the results. Results In this study, insomnia symptoms were reported by around 36 percent of older adults aged 60 and above. After controlling for socio-demographic factors, insomnia symptoms were positively associated with the risk of being underweight [AOR: 1.289, CI: 1.211–1.372] and negatively associated with obesity/overweight [AOR: 0.928, CI: 0.872–0.990] as compared to older adults with normal BMI. The odds of insomnia symptoms were higher among those who reported the following chronic conditions, i.e., hypertension [AOR:1.356, CI:1.278–1.438], diabetes [AOR:1.160, CI:1.074–1.254], chronic lung diseases [AOR:1.485, CI:1.351–1.632], bone-related diseases [AOR:1.561, CI:1.458–1.670] and any psychiatric disorders [AOR:1.761, CI:1.495–2.074]. In addition, older adults who were physically active [AOR: 0.850, CI:0.804–0.900] were less likely to report insomnia symptoms. Conclusions The study suggests a high prevalence of insomnia symptoms among the older population in India. Early identification of the signs of insomnia in older population is crucial, as is timely treatment for any kind of sleep problems. In addition, nutrition-based interventions and individual disease-specific management programs may help minimize the stressful situations in later life and develop a good night’s sleep for the older population.

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