158
Views
5
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

Relationship between depressive symptoms and cardiovascular risk factors among selected Latino patients at a community clinic

, , , &
Pages 117-126 | Received 13 Sep 2009, Published online: 24 Mar 2010
 

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between severity of depression and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among selected Latino patients within a primary care setting. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 164 low-income Latino patients at San Ysidro Health Center (SYHC) who had been recruited into a mental health program between January 2007 and March 2008. Patients were between the ages of 18 and 83 years, 54 were males and 109 females. Patients were screened using the 9-item patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), a standardized instrument used to measure depression severity. We used regression models to analyze the relationship between severity of depression and CVD risk factors. Seventy-eight percent of the patients had at least mild depression based on PHQ-9 score categories. Significant age-adjusted pairwise associations were found with CVD risk factors; body mass index (BMI), diabetes status, serum cholesterol level, and serum triglyceride level were all associated with depression severity score. Regression models indicated that diabetic patients on anti-depressive medication with higher BMI scores and triglyceride levels had significantly higher depression severity scores. Clinicians should be made aware that depressive symptoms may impede efforts to modify BMI, serum triglycerides, anti-depression medication, and diabetes among Latino patients. They should, therefore, screen and treat depression among Latinos at risk to CVD.

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge James Cevallos MD, Roberto Cervantes MD, and SYHC staff for their support.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 65.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 402.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.