Depression in a household sample in aracaju (sergipe, brazil)

This study aimed to detect the prevalence rate of depression-related symptoms in a household sample in Aracaju (Sergipe, Brazil), as well as estimating the chances of a positive diagnosis in the screening for depression based on socio-demographic and general health profiles. The sample was composed of 690 participants and only one resident per house was invited to take part in this study. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), questionnaires about socio-demographic and health-related data were used. Almost 35% of participants had positive diagnosis in the screening for depression. A logistic regression showed that those people who perceived themselves as sick, non-religious, lacked a college degree, smokers or who were obese, smokers composed the profile of individuals with a greater chance to be in the BDI positive group. Finally, the proposed objectives to this study allowed inferring that the population living in Aracaju present a high prevalence rate of depression-related symptoms. Considering that the interviews were conducted at home, it is still possible that part of the sample that showed these symptoms may not have sought assistance at primary health centers or have been assessed by primary care team. Thus, we think these findings are important due to the lack of similar studies in Brazilian Northeast region.