Depression and Cognitive Function in Accordance with the Nutritional Status of Elderly Women Residing in Rajarhat-Newtown Area of Kolkata, India

A BSTRACT Introduction: The nutritional status of elderly persons is reported to be affected by depression and cognitive function. The most prevalent psychological issue in old age is depression, and cognitive decline is also seen in this age range. Objective: The aim of the present study was to establish the relationship between nutritional status, depression scale, and cognitive function in older women. Materials and Methods: A total of 250 older women participated in a cross-sectional study (residing at Rajarhat-Newtown area). The lengthy version of the Mini-Nutritional Assessment tool (MNA®) was used to evaluate the participants’ nutritional status. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS 30) was used to evaluate the severity of the depression. Using the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination, cognitive function was assessed. Using SPSS software, the Chi-square, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient were computed. Multinominal logistic regression model was used by taking nutritional status as dependent variable while depression and cognitive function as independent variables. Results: Participants with mild depression made up about 50.8% and those with severe depression made up 9.2%. Age-related cognitive function was found to be severely impaired in 1.6% and mild or moderate impairment was found in 70.4% of older women. A multinominal logistic regression model validated the finding that there was a significant relationship between dietary status and both depression and cognitive performance ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: Both depression and impairment in cognitive function can cause malnutrition or vice versa among older women.