Physical Activity Inversely Associated with Depression Even Among Hospitalized Elderly Patients

Background/Purpose: Although depression is a prevalent comorbidity among elderly inpatients, the investigation of associated factors has been inconclusive in addressing the extent to which depression in elderly inpatients is actually a hospital-related depression.The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of depression in the elderly inpatients from clinical wards of a general hospital in Brazil and investigate its distribution in relation to socio-demographic and clinical conditions and habits, before and during hospitalization. Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted in a general hospital between June 2011 and May 2012 included all the patients 60 years or older admitted at clinical wards, except those with delirium and moderate to severe disability. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Bayer-Activities of Daily Scale (B-ADL), Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) and Cambridge Examination (CAMDEX) were applied; sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, inventory of habits and clinical records were also used for data collection. Results: The final sample of 192 patients had a mean age of 70.3 years (range: 60-91; SD: 7.9) and was mostly male (62.5%) and poorly educated (<= 4 years of schooling: 72.9%). Fifty patients were identified with depressive syndrome (prevalence: 26%; 95% CI: 20-32%). There was association between depression and lower mean scores in MMSE and higher mean number of cognitive complaints. Previous depression, functional impairment and low level of physical activity were associated with depression in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion: The present study suggests the independent contribution of previous aspects to hospitalization on depression in elderly inpatients, such as functional performance and physical activity profile. Copyright (c) 2020, Asian Association for Frailty and Sarcopenia and Taiwan Association for Integrated Care. Published by Full Universe Integrated Marketing Limited.