An Estimated 6% Of Older Adults Shown To Have Depression

About 6.2% of older adults age 65 to 79 have depression, according to a baseline assessment of nearly 3,000 community-dwelling older adults. The prevalence was higher among women (7.2%), and unmarried people (8.1%). Those who engaged in volunteer activities were 43% less likely to have depression.

Elevated prevalence of depression was also noted among those ages 65 to 69 years (at 7.9%), those with a high school education or less (8.3%), and those with annual household income below $50,000 (10.7%). Depression rates were also higher among those with a history of . . .