U.S. Residents Have Symptoms of Depression Three Days Per Month, CDC Study Finds
U.S. residents have an average of three "sad, blue or depressed" days per month, according to a study published on Wednesday in the online journal Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal reports (Corbett Dooren, Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal, 7/29). In the study, CDC researchers surveyed 166,000 adults in 38 states by telephone between 1995 and 2000 (AP/Las Vegas Sun, 7/28). The study, led by Rosemarie Kobau of CDC, found that respondents who had highest number of sad, blue or depressed days per month also reported that they participated in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking and not exercising. In addition, the study found:
- Women had an average of 3.5 days per month with "depressive" symptoms, compared with 2.4 days for men.
- Nonsmokers had an average of 2.4 fewer days per month with depressive symptoms than those who smoke at least one pack of cigarettes per day.
- Respondents who exercise had an average of 1.3 fewer days per month with depressive symptoms than those who do not exercise.
- Respondents in households with annual incomes of more than $50,000 had an average of 1.7 days per month with depressive symptoms, compared with 5.4 days for those in households with annual incomes of less than $15,000.
- Respondents who cannot work had an average of 10.2 days per month with depressive symptoms.
- Younger respondents on average had more days of depressive symptoms than older respondents, and respondents with college degrees had fewer days of depressive symptoms than those without high school diplomas.