Table 1. Sample characteristics according to depression status at study inclusiona.

Characteristic	No depression	Depression	P-valueb
n	773	251	—
Age (mean±s.d.)	71.4±4.5	72.0±4.5	0.045
Proportion of women (%)	55	77	<0.001
Proportion (%) of individuals who are or have:
High education levelc	41.4	30.7	0.002
Living alone	20.1	36.7	<0.001
Habitual alcohol drinkersd	19.8	14.4	0.061
Habitual smokerse	39.0	33.3	0.108
Functional impairmentf	1.3	4.0	0.007
Hypertensiong	43.5	46.6	0.383
Hypercholesterolaemiah	32.2	30.8	0.687
Ischaemic diseasei	10.5	10.4	0.957
Obesityj	7.7	9.2	0.434
Diabetesk	7.2	5.6	0.386
Thyroid disease	6.5	9.2	0.145
Comorbiditiesl	13.3	12.0	0.574
Cognitive impairmentm	4.2	12.8	<0.001
Proportion (%) of individuals using antidepressants:
TCAn	0.8	2.4	0.039
SSRIo	1.0	4.0	0.002
Other	0.4	2.8	0.001

Abbreviations: ADL, Activities of Daily Living scale; CES-D, Centre of Epidemiological Studies Depression; IADL, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale; MDD, major depressive disorder; MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination score.

^aCurrent MDD or CES-D ⩾16.

^bOn the basis of a χ²-test (except age, for which a Student's t-test was used).

^cUndergone post-secondary education of any type.

^dMore than 24 g of alcohol per day.

^eMore than 10 pack-years (number of packs per day × years smoked).

^fUnable to independently complete two items on both or either of the IADL scale items and the ADL scale.

^gResting blood pressure ⩾160/95 mmHg or reported treatment.

^hTotal cholesterol ⩾6.2 mmol l⁻¹ or treated.

ⁱHistory of cardiovascular disease (for example, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiovascular surgery and arteritis).

^jBody mass index ⩾30 kg/m².

^kFasting glucose ⩾7.0 mmol l⁻¹ or reported treatment.

^lHaving a history of cardiovascular diseases (for example, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiovascular surgery and arteritis), more than one chronic illnesses (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, thyroid problems and asthma) or cancer diagnosed within the last 2 years.

^mMMSE score <24.

ⁿTricyclic antidepressants.

^oSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.