Association Between Age, Nutritional Status and Depression Among Community Dwelling Elderly Women in Kolkata, India

The study aims to explore the association between age, nutritional status and depression among community dwelling women in Kolkata, India. Nutritional status and depression level according to age was assessed by Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA®) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-30), respectively among 169 elderly women (≥ 60 years). 28.4%, 54.4.5% and 17.2% of the participants were well nourished, at risk of malnutrition and malnourished, respectively. 41.4%, 37.9% and 20.7% of them had no depression, mild depression and severe depression, respectively. Both, malnutrition and depression increased significantly with the advancement of age. Significant negative correlations were found between age and MNA as well as age and GDS. GDS score increased significantly with decrease in nutritional status. The study reveals that a) age is a risk factor for both malnutrition and depression and b) significant negative association exists between nutritional status and depression level among the study population.