Background: Depression is one of most prevalent disabling health problems
among elderly. Aim of the study: To improve quality of life of elderly.
Objectives: To assess frequency of depression among elderly (≥60) and identify
its risk factors. Subjects and methods: A cross sectional study included 280
persons attending geriatric clubs in Zagazig city. Participants were asked about
socio-demographic data, presence of chronic diseases, and participation in
physical and social activities. Depression was measured by Geriatric Depression
Scale short form (GDS-SF). Results: Prevalence of depression among the studied group was 66.1%, while 33.9% had no depression. According to severity, 61% of
the depressed elderly had mild depression and 10% had severe depression. Results revealed that elderly belonging to the age group 70-75 years (63.9%), female sex (44.7%), urban residents (42.7), widowed (48.0%), and those with middle
education (63.0%) were more exposed to depression than others. Also, elderly
without past occupation (50.5%), those without current occupation (42.9%), and
those of low social class (66.6%) had depression more than others. Lastly, elderly with minimal participation in physical activities (60.0%) and moderate
participation in social (53.2%) activities, and those having chronic conditions were more prone to depression than others. Conclusion: Depression is an undiagnosed public health problem. It significantly increases with age, female sex, widowhood, urban residence, middle education, low socioeconomic level, past unemployment, and absence of current occupation. It is recommended to increase the awareness
about the geriatric depression to allow early detection thus preventing its
progression.