Associations between water, sanitation, and depression among older people in Ghana: empirical evidence from WHO-SAGE Wave 2 survey.

Autor: Simiyu S; African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya., Bagayoko M; African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya., Gyasi RM; African Population and Health Research Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Aging & mental health [Aging Ment Health] 2022 Jun; Vol. 26 (6), pp. 1112-1119. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Apr 10.
DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2021.1910796
Abstrakt: Background: While depression is the most frequent psychiatric disorder among the older adults, the use of water and sanitation has been associated with both physical and psychological adverse outcomes. We investigated the associations of water and sanitation with depressive symptoms among older adults in Ghana.
Methods: The study used data from 4,735 participants in the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Wave 2 of adults aged ≥50 years. Major depressive episode (MDE) was assessed using the World Mental Health Survey version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview and we classified water and sanitation sources based on the Joint Monitoring Program. Multivariate logistic regressions evaluated the associations.
Results: Approximately 7.3% of respondents reported a MDE, 90% and 78% used improved water sources and sanitation facilities respectively, and 77% shared sanitation facilities. Individuals who used unimproved water sources and unimproved sanitation were 1.6 and 1.3 times more likely to report MDE respectively. Also, sex-based analysis showed that the effect of the use of unimproved water and sanitation on depression was much appreciable and more substantial among women compared to men.
Conclusions: The findings suggest the importance of water and sanitation to the well-being of older people, particularly among women. Policies targeted at improving the mental health in old age should include water and sanitation.
Databáze: MEDLINE