• 한국노년학
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.1311-1327
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• 2010

This study was conducted to identify the relationship between depression and subjective/objective health status, and to examine predicting factors on depression in the elderly in Korea. This study was a secondary analysis using the data of Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(VI-1) 2007. A total of 939 data from the subjects ≥60 years who completed health-related survey were used for analysis. Data were analyzed using SAS (version 9.1) PC program. Depression was identified in the 20.3% of the older subjects. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that women (OR=2.04), senior high school graduation (OR=0.27) and lowermiddle household income (OR=2.83) were significant associating factors(p<0.05). After adjustment for socio-demographic factors, hypertension (OR=1.93) and asthma (OR=3.32) as objective health status, and stress (OR=7.27), limited activity in daily living due to fracture or joint injury (OR=6.59) and poor self-rate health (OR=1.64) as subjective health status were found as factors predicting depression in the elderly(p<0.05). According to the type of health status, the subjects who had chronic disease or perceived poor physical health were 5.94 times more likely to have disposition to depression than the subjects who had no chronic disease or perceived good physical health (p=0.001). These findings suggest that preventive education and intervention focus on preventing and managing chronic diseases such as hypertension, asthma, fracture and joint injury should be needed to decrease depression in the elderly.