Prevalence of depression and associated factors in women covered by Family Health Strategy

ABSTRACT Objective To assess the prevalence of depression and its associated factors in women aged 20 to 59 years at some areas with the coverage of Family Health Strategy in a city located at Zona da Mata Mineira. Methods It is a cross-sectional study with women aged 20-59 enrolled in two Primary Health Care Units making use of a questionnaire containing socio-demographic variables, social support, self-assessment of general health status, lifestyle, morbidity and women’s health. Depression was evaluated according to Patients Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Results From 1,958 women included in this analysis, 28,5% are aged 30-39; 15,4% did not finish High School; 54,5% do not work or have never worked and 44,2% defined themselves as not white. Factors associated with depression episodes in the population studied: lower educational background, currently having a job, previous diagnosis of psychiatric disorders. Protective factors which were observed: being married or living with a partner, practicing physical activities in a regular basis and reporting positive self-assessed health. Conclusion The results of this study reveal a prevalence of depression of 19.7% in women aged 20 to 59 years covered by the Family Health Strategy, pointing to the need for special care in primary health care for women with low schooling, who work, have mental illness, and do not exercise so that they can reduce suffering and promote health. It was observed a significant gap related to managing specific tools designed to screening depressive episodes in primary care.