IJCS | Volume 32, Nº4, July/August 2019

DOI: 10.5935/2359-4802.20190056 355 ORIGINAL ARTICLE International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences. 2019;32(4):355-361 Mailing Address: Rafael Pereira Department of Biological Sciences, State University of Southwest of Bahia. Rua José Moreira Sobrinho, s/n. Postal Code: 45210-506, Jequiezinho - Jequie, Bahia - Brazil. E-mail: rafaelpereira@uesb.edu.br The Physical Activity Level, Body Composition and Diabetes Mellitus Influence the Association Between Depression and Hypertension in Community-Dwelling Elders Carlos Geovane S. Araúj o, IvnaVidal Freir e, Í caro José Santos Ribeir o, Y anne FrancaMontin o, C ézar Augusto Casott i, R afael Pereir a Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB), 1 Jequie, BA - Brazil Manuscript received on January 18, 2019; reviewed on March 22,2019; accepted on April 08, 2019. Abstract Background: Depression and hypertension are highly prevalent among elderly people. Although the relationship between these conditions is well recognized, however, the factors that may influence such association are not clearly understood. Objective: To analyze the association between depression and hypertension in community-dwelling elders. Methods: Two-hundred and thirty-one community-dwelling elders provided information regarding the following variables: sex, age, ethnicity, smoking habit, physical activity level (PA), body mass index (BMI) and diabetes mellitus (DM). These variables can potentially influence depression and hypertension, as well as its relationship. Screening for depression was made using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The presence of hypertension was defined based on self-reported data and/or the use of antihypertensive drugs. The logistic regression technique was applied, using hypertension as the dependent variable and depressive state as a predictive variable. Logistic regression was applied with and without adjustment for the potential intervening variables. Results: The prevalence of depressive state and hypertension in the studied population was 14% and 59%, respectively. The association between depression and hypertension without adjustments was not significant (odds ratio [OR] = 2.28, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] = 0.98 - 5.32; p = 0.06). However, after adjusting for PA, BMI and DM, the strength of association between depression and hypertension significantly increased (OR = 3.08, 95%CI = 1.12 - 8.46; p = 0.03). Conclusion: The association between depression and hypertension in the elderly is directly influenced by PA, BMI and DM. This finding may guide strategies to increase the adherence to a healthier lifestyle. (Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2019;32(4):355-361) Keywords: Aging, Mood Disorders; Hypertension; Diabetes Mellitus; Depression; Obesity, Sedentarism; Exercise; Independent Living; Lifestyle. Introduction Senescence is a natural life process associated with increased risk of non-communicable diseases, as hypertension. In fact, there is a growing prevalence of hypertension with increasing age. 1 This is worrying, since it is expected that the world population over 60 years old will be approximately two billion in the next decades 2 and the prevalence of hypertension could reach up to 80% among elders. 3 Rafael Pereira, PhD Head of the Integrative Physiology Research Center - Department of Biological Sciences - Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB) rpfisiologia@gmail.com