DEPRESSION AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH NUTRITIONAL STATUS, STRESS AND ANXIETY AMONG MALAY WOMEN IN THE RURAL AREA OF SAMARAHAN DISTRICT, SARAWAK

Ainaa Anum, Araffin Bakar and Noorzilawati, Sahak and Siti Raudzah, Ghazali (2019) DEPRESSION AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH NUTRITIONAL STATUS, STRESS AND ANXIETY AMONG MALAY WOMEN IN THE RURAL AREA OF SAMARAHAN DISTRICT, SARAWAK. International Journal for Studies on Children, Women, Elderly And Disabled, 8. pp. 26-36. ISSN 0128-309X

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Abstract

Depression is a significant contributor to mental illness as well as to the overall global burden of disease as it can affect anyone at any time. Research on depression and its association with nutritional status, stress and anxiety among Malay women in the rural area in Malaysia especially in Sarawak is limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of depression and its association with nutritional status, stress and anxiety among Malay women in the rural area of Samarahan district. A community-based cross-sectional survey was carried out among 502 Malay women in the rural area of Samarahan district selected using multistage random sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Nutritional status was measured using Body Mass Index. Stress and anxiety were measured by Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS), meanwhile Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale was used to screen for depression. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to determine the association between studied factors and depression. The prevalence of depression among respondents was 18.1%. The odds of having depression among single women were 0.58 times [adj. OR 0.58; CI 0.34 – 0.99] compared to married women. Women with stress were six times [adj. OR 6.09; CI 2.93 – 12.66] more likely to have depression. The odds of having depression among women with anxiety were 4.15 times [adj. OR 4.15; CI 2.33 – 7.39] compared to women without anxiety. However, there was no significant association between nutritional status and depression. The study findings can be used to help in designing health programmes and healthcare services to tackle mental health issues in community settings, particularly in the rural area of Samarahan district for prevention measures, early detection and early intervention.

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