Investigation of the relationship between depression levels and nutritional status in elderly patients receiving home health care services

Objective: The research explores the factors influencing the nutrition levels of people aged 65 years and older enrolled in home health services, focusing on depression levels, functional dependency, existing comorbid conditions and sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: The study is a single-centered, cross-sectional, descriptive, and prospective analysis conducted with patients registered at the Home Health Services at SBÜ Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital . The sample size was estimated assuming that the prevalence of malnutrition among the elderly was 40%, with a error margin of 0.05% and a 95% confidence interval, and reaching a target of 368 individuals. Sociodemographic data were collected via surveys. Nutrition levels was measured utilizing the Mini Nutritional Assessment Scale- Long Form, functional dependence with the Barthel Index, comorbidities via the Charlson Comorbidity Index, and depression levels using the Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using IBM SPSS 26 program. Results: Among the respondents, 60.6% (n=223) were female and the mean age was 81.35±7.95 years (range: 65-99). In education terms, 84.8% had completed elementary school or less (n=312), and 79.4% received care from family members (n=292). The average body mass index was 25.4±4.2 kg/m² (min: 16.5 kg/m²; max: 49 kg/m²). Nutritional assessments showed that 29.6% were insufficiently nourished, 44% were at risk of malnutrition. In daily activities, 16.8% were fully dependent, while 47.3% were severely dependent. According to the comorbidity index, 89.1% were at very high risk for mortality. Additionally, 62.5% were confirmed as depressed, with 10.3% likely depressed. A significant association was found between nutrition status and some factors such as caregiver status, gender, dental hygiene and BMI. Conclusion: The study highlights a considerable prevalence of depression and its adverse effect on nutritional health. Depression levels were found to have a strong negative correlation with nutritional status, indicating that high levels of depression may negatively affect the nutritional well-being of older adults and emphasizing the need to address both nutrition and mental health in this demographic group.