Dra. Troncoso-Pantoja, Claudia

Depressive disorders are recognized as one of the most common mental health conditions across different age groups. However, the risk factors associated with depression among older people from low-and middle-income countries remains unclear. This study aims to identify socio-demographic, health and psychosocial-related factors associated with depression in Chilean older adults. A cross-sectional study was carried out in a representative sample of 1,765 adults aged ≥60 years participants from the Chilean National Health Survey 2016–2017. Depression was assessed with the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI-SF). Associations between the exposure variables and depression were investigated using Poisson regression analyses. The main findings indicated that women showed higher likelihood of depression than men (Prevalence Ratio (PR) = 2.6 [95% CI: 1.40; 4.89]). An increased likelihood of depression was found in older adults with chronic pain, multimorbidity (≥2 diseases), previous diagnose of depression, high perception of stress, financial stress, and difficulties for social participation. In women, higher likelihood of depression was found for those with the frailty phenotype (PR:8.53 [95% CI: 1.68; 43.32]), rheumatoid arthritis (PR:2.41 [95% CI: 1.34; 4.34]), insomnia (PR:2.99 [95% CI: 1.74; 5.12]) and low self-rated well-being (PR:4.94 [95% CI: 2.26; 10.79]). Men who were divorced (PR:7.10 [95% CI: 1.44; 34.90]) or widowed (PR:10.83 [95% CI: 3.71; 31.58]), obese (PR:5.08 [95% CI: 1.48; 17.42) and who had asthma (PR: 7.60 [95% CI: 2.31; 24.99]) were associated with higher odds of depression. The current findings may have clinical implications for the early identification of older adults more susceptible to depression and also suggest the need to implement cultural and age-sensitive strategies to promote mental health in late life.

Introduction: The average life expectancy, as well as the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes (T2D), is increasing worldwide. Population-based studies have demonstrated that the duration of T2D has been associated with cognitive impairment. However, despite the high prevalence of T2D and cognitive impairment in Chile, the association between years with T2D and suspicion of cognitive impairment has not yet been investigated. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between duration of T2D and suspicion of cognitive impairment in Chilean older adults. Material and Methods: 1,040 older adults aged ≥60 years from the Chilean National Health Survey (2009-2010) were included. Suspicion of cognitive impairment was assessed by the abbreviated Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). The number of years with T2D was self-reported and categorised into four groups. Poisson Regression analysis was used to assess the association between altered MMSE and the number of years with DM2, adjusted by potential confounders including socio-demographic, lifestyle, adiposity and health-related factors. Results: When the analyses were adjusted for socio-demographic factors, people who had T2D for 15 to 24 and ≥25 years had 2.2-times (95%CI: 1.07; 3.33) and 5.8-times (95%CI: 3.81; 11.0) higher relative risk (RR) of cognitive impairment, compared to those without T2D. When the analyses were additionally adjusted for lifestyle and health-related covariates, the RR for cognitive impairment was 1.76-times (95%CI: 1.02; 2.50) and 4.54-times (95%CI: 2.70; 6.38) higher for those who had T2D for 14-24 years and ≥25 years, respectively. Conclusions: Number of years with T2D was associated with suspicion of cognitive impairment. A longer duration of T2D was associated with a higher likelihood of cognitive impairment in the Chilean older population, independently of confounder factors included in the study.