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Prevalence of depression among adults in Oyo State, Nigeria: A comparative study of rural and urban communities
Author(s) -
Amoran Olorunfemi,
Lawoyin Taiwo,
Lasebikan Victor
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
australian journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.48
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1440-1584
pISSN - 1038-5282
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1584.2006.00794.x
Subject(s) - depression (economics) , local government area , interview , rural area , medicine , systematic sampling , environmental health , local government , general health questionnaire , demography , mental health , geography , psychiatry , archaeology , pathology , sociology , political science , law , economics , macroeconomics
Objective: This study was designed to assess the current prevalence of depression in Oyo State, Nigeria and the rural–urban variation in prevalence.Setting: This is a two‐phase community‐based cross‐sectional study. The urban areas selected for the study are the Ibadan North‐West and Egbeda local government areas. The rural area selected was the Saki‐East local government area.Participants: A total of 1105 participants were recruited into the study. Multistage sampling technique was used to obtain a representative sample of the participants from the communities in Oyo State. The study was conducted using an interviewer‐administered structured questionnaire, and the general health questionnaire (GHQ 12) as a screening tool. The second phase of the interview was conducted only for those participants with a score of more than 3 using the GHQ 12. These participants were then clinically examined using the Structured Clinical Interview DSM IV for assessment of clinical depression.Main outcome measure: Prevalence of depression.Results: A total of 721 (65.2%) were from urban communities, while 384 (34.8%) were from the rural community. The overall prevalence of depression was found to be 5.2%. Depression was more prevalent among women than men (5.7% vs 4.8%, χ2 = 0.36 P = 0.55), and among adolescents (9.6%, P = 0.04). Furthermore, depression was more common in the rural areas than in the urban areas (7.3% vs 4.2%, χ 2 = 4.94 P = 0.02). Conclusion: Depression is more common in rural than urban areas in the Nigerian population. Mental health education for adolescents and secondary school students should be encouraged in rural communities.