Turkish Journal of Geriatrics 2015 , Vol 18, Issue 2
INVESTIGATION OF OBESITY AND DEPRESSION IN A SAMPLE OF TURKISH ELDERLY ADULTS
Hülya ÇAKMUR1, Sadık ARDIÇ2
1Kafkas University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, KARS
2Kafkas University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Chest Diseases, KARS
Introduction: The prevalence of obesity has grown in Turkish elderly adults. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between obesity and depression in elderly people. The study also examined demographic data and the relationship between depression and obesity.

Materials and Method: This case-control study was conducted at the University of Kafkas, Kars, Turkey. We included 161 adults (≥65 years old). The body composition of the participants was evaluated with the bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) was used to assess the depression status.

Results: Participants were between 65 and 87 years of age (mean, 70.80±5.42 years); 50.9% of them were females, and 82 of them were obese. The depression rate was 54.9% in the obese group, and 49.4% in the non-obese group, and the association between obesity and depression approached the level of statistical significance in women. In this study, 60.9% of the participants had not completed elementary school. The depression rate was higher in participants with low education levels, 98.8% participants lived with at least one other person, and 55.9% had a monthly income of ≥501 Turkish Liras. There is significant association between depression and living alone and low monthly income.

Conclusion: We found that more than half of the participants (including obese and non-obese) were depressed and that living alone and having a low monthly income were higher risk factors for depression than obesity in elderly adults. Thus, our results demonstrated that obesity was not a main risk factor for depression; however, economic status and living arrangements posed a risk. Keywords : Obesity; Depression; Body Mass Index; Aged