OBJECTIVE: To identify the presence of depressive symptoms in elderly enrolled in a control program for hypertension and diabetes mellitus in a municipality of northwestern Paraná. METHODS: A descriptive, transversal study conducted in basic health units in Sarandi - PR (Brazil), with 100 elderly registered in the Programa Hiperdia [Hyperday program]. A mental health section of the questionnaire, Brazil Old Age Schedule (BOAS), was used. The Mann-Whitney and Chi-Square tests were used to analyze the association between depressive symptoms and sociodemographic characteristics and nutritional status. RESULTS: The majority of the elderly were female (82.0%). The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 30.0%, of which 20.0% were classified as major depression. The depressive symptoms were more frequent in those who were: women (31.7%); 80 years of age or older (33.3%); without education (39.1%); living alone (43.7%); underweight (33.3%) or obese (32.5%). CONCLUSION: The family health strategy teams need to be attentive to the presence of depressive symptoms in the elderly , especially in those who are already attending established support groups.
Aged; Depression; Hypertension; Diabetes mellitus; Mental health; Public health
