Epidemiology of major depressive disorder in elderly Nigerians in the Ibadan Study of Ageing: a community-based survey

Abstract

BACKGROUND:The growing elderly populations in Sub-Sahara Africa are exposed to social changes with potential adverse effects on health. To our knowledge, no study has examined the occurrence and impact of major depressive disorder in a large and representative community sample of elderly Africans.

Validity/Reliability of PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 Depression Scales Among Adults Living with HIV/AIDS in Western Kenya

“…General health perception rating was administered 85 : "In general how would you rate your overall health right now?" Ratings were from excellent (1) to poor (5). Recommended scoring was used: 1=5, 2=4.36, 3=3.43, 4=1.99 and 5=1, rescaled 0-100; a higher score represents better perceived health 85 .…”

“…The social, economic and health impact of depression in sub-Saharan Africa is also great, where depression is associated with mortality [2][3][4][5] , work disability [4][5][6][7] , lower quality of life 5,[8][9][10][11][12] , risk of heart disease 13 and high-risk behaviors for contracting HIV infection 14 . With one exception 15 , the sparse literature on depression among individuals living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa has shown elevated rates of depression relative to community samples 3,8,10,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] , consistent with western countries [26][27][28][29] .…”

“…However, depression exists at possibly higher prevalence rates than in western countries 37 according to 16 studies 4,5,7,[9][10][11][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] , and an additional 13 studies cited in 37 , of community and non-HIVspecific clinic populations, with generally higher rates for women than men 37,43 . Finally, depression is reasonably easy to elicit when sought and present 37 .…”

Understanding and Advancing the Health of Older Populations in sub-Saharan Africa: Policy Perspectives and Evidence Needs

“…(i) Sizeable proportions of older persons suffer from malnutrition, 26,27 often multiple chronic physical and mental disease conditions (such as musculo-skeletal and cardiovascular conditions, impaired vision or hearing, depression and dementia) [28][29][30][31][32][33] and consequent impaired health and function. [34][35][36][37][38][39][40] (ii) Health and functional impairments may significantly impact on older persons' quality of life.…”

“…41,42 (iii) Within the older population, levels of ill-health and impaired function clearly vary between sociodemographic (e.g., gender, rural/urban, socioeconomic) groups. 28,29,34,[37][38][39][40] Evidence suggests a consistently higher risk of disability, depression, dementia as well as self-reported poor health and function among older women compared to men. Findings on relationships of rural/urban and socioeconomic status to health outcomes, however, are less clear.…”