Citation

Vu HTT, Lin V, Pham T, Pham TL, Nguyen AT, Nguyen HT, Nguyen TX, Nguyen TN, Nguyen HTT, Nguyen TTH, Nguyen LH, Nguyen QN, Nguyen HLT, Tran TH, Tran BX, Latkin CA, Ho CSH, Ho RCM. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019; 16(15): e16152654.

Affiliation

Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore 119077, Singapore.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph16152654

PMID

31349566

Abstract

(1) Background: Major causes of the burden of disease in older persons include mental disorders and neurological diseases, such as depression. This study aims to explore the prevalence of older people at risk for depression and identify the factors associated with this risk in rural Vietnam. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Soc Son, Hanoi with 523 community dwelling elders aged 60 and over. Face-to-face interviews were performed to collect data about socioeconomic status, risk for depression, health status, and health utilization. The Geriatric Depression Scale-4 items (GDS-4) was used to assess the risk for depression occurrence. Multivariable logistic regression was employed for determining the factors associated with the risk for depression. (3) Results: Among 523 participants, there were 26.4% of participants at risk for depression. The proportion of females at risk for depression (29.0%) was significantly higher than males (20.4%). Differences were found in economic status (near poor group had higher risk for depression compared to the poor group) (p < 0.01). Older adults living with spouse/partner, living in near-poor household, and suffering pain/discomfort were all more likely to be at risk for depression. (4) Conclusions: Being female, living in a near poor household, being in pain or experiencing discomfort are all factors strongly correlated to high risk for depression. These findings highlight the urgent need for additional research among Vietnamese community-dwelling older people.

Language: en

Keywords

Vietnam; mental health services; older adults; risk for depression; rural