Table 2.
Percentage of older adults suffering from major depression in India, 2017–2018
| Background characteristics | Not depressed | Depressed | P value |
| Percentage (n) | Percentage (n) | ||
| Food security factors | |||
| Reduced the size of meals | <0.001 | ||
| No | 92.6 (27 297) | 7.4 (2174) | |
| Yes | 76.4 (1523) | 23.6 (470) | |
| Did not eat enough food of one’s choice | 0.984 | ||
| No | 92.1 (17 425) | 7.9 (1497) | |
| Yes | 90.9 (11 395) | 9.1 (1147) | |
| Hungry but did not eat | <0.001 | ||
| No | 92.6 (27 511) | 7.4 (2200) | |
| Yes | 74.7 (1309) | 25.3 (444) | |
| Did not eat for a whole day | <0.001 | ||
| No | 92.3 (27 833) | 7.7 (2319) | |
| Yes | 75.2 (987) | 24.8 (325) | |
| Lost weight due to lack of food | <0.001 | ||
| No | 92.5 (27 477) | 7.5 (2218) | |
| Yes | 75.9 (1343) | 24.1 (426) | |
| Individual factors | |||
| Age | 0.207 | ||
| Young old | 91.7 (16 887) | 8.3 (1523) | |
| Old old | 91.9 (8734) | 8.1 (767) | |
| Oldest old | 90 (3199) | 10 (354) | |
| Sex | <0.001 | ||
| Male | 92.8 (13 851) | 7.2 (1080) | |
| Female | 90.5 (14 969) | 9.5 (1564) | |
| Education | <0.001 | ||
| No education/primary not completed | 90.7 (19 392) | 9.3 (1989) | |
| Primary completed | 92.2 (3246) | 7.8 (274) | |
| Secondary completed | 94.2 (4119) | 5.8 (253) | |
| Higher and above | 94.2 (2064) | 5.8 (127) | |
| Living arrangements | <0.001 | ||
| Alone | 86.8 (1551) | 13.2 (236) | |
| With spouse | 91.9 (5880) | 8.1 (516) | |
| With children | 92.1 (19 777) | 7.9 (1698) | |
| Others | 89.3 (1612) | 10.7 (193) | |
| Working status | <0.001 | ||
| Working | 92.3 (8933) | 7.7 (747) | |
| Not working/retired | 90.5 (12 185) | 9.5 (1284) | |
| Never worked | 92.6 (7702) | 7.4 (612) | |
| Social participation | <0.001 | ||
| No | 91.5 (27 503) | 8.5 (2550) | |
| Yes | 93.4 (1317) | 6.6 (94) | |
| Self-rated health | <0.001 | ||
| Good | 95.6 (15 848) | 4.4 (734) | |
| Poor | 87.2 (12 973) | 12.8 (1910) | |
| Difficulty in ADL | <0.001 | ||
| No | 93.4 (22 229) | 6.6 (1573) | |
| Yes | 86 (6591) | 14 (1071) | |
| Difficulty in IADL | <0.001 | ||
| No | 94.5 (15 238) | 5.5 (892) | |
| Yes | 88.6 (13582) | 11.4 (1752) | |
| Morbidity status | <0.001 | ||
| 0 | 93.1 (13 755) | 6.9 (1017) | |
| 1 | 91.6 (8402) | 8.4 (770) | |
| 2+ | 88.6 (6663) | 11.4 (857) | |
| Household/community factors | |||
| MPCE quintile | <0.001 | ||
| Poorest | 91.4 (6240) | 8.6 (589) | |
| Poorer | 92.3 (6308) | 7.7 (524) | |
| Middle | 92.2 (6074) | 7.8 (516) | |
| Richer | 91.5 (5522) | 8.6 (516) | |
| Richest | 90.4 (4676) | 9.6 (499) | |
| Religion | <0.001 | ||
| Hindu | 91.6 (23 702) | 8.4 (2169) | |
| Muslim | 91.1 (3232) | 8.9 (316) | |
| Christian | 92.9 (837) | 7.1 (64) | |
| Others | 91.7 (1049) | 8.3 (96) | |
| Caste | <0.001 | ||
| Scheduled Caste | 90.3 (5370) | 9.7 (579) | |
| Scheduled Tribe | 95.3 (2435) | 4.7 (121) | |
| Other Backward Class | 91 (12 955) | 9 (1276) | |
| Others | 92.4 (8061) | 7.7 (668) | |
| Place of residence | <0.001 | ||
| Rural | 90.6 (20 116) | 9.4 (2081) | |
| Urban | 93.9 (8705) | 6.1 (563) | |
| Region | <0.001 | ||
| North | 93.3 (3695) | 6.7 (265) | |
| Central | 85.9 (5666) | 14.1 (927) | |
| East | 91.9 (6839) | 8.1 (600) | |
| Northeast | 94.5 (884) | 5.5 (51) | |
| West | 92.5 (4997) | 7.5 (404) | |
| South | 94.4 (6740) | 5.6 (397) | |
| Total | 91.6 (28 820) | 8.4 (2644) |
The estimates are weighted.
ADL, Activities of Daily Living; IADL, Instrumental ADL; MPCE, monthly per capita consumption expenditure.