Method:
MEDLINE and PsycINFO were
searched for potentially relevant articles
published from January 1966 to June
2001 and from January 1967 to June
2001, respectively. The bibliographies of
relevant articles were searched for addi-
tional references. Twenty studies met the
following six inclusion criteria: original re-
search reported in an English or French
publication, study group of community
residents, age of subjects 50 years or
more, prospective study design, examina-
tion of at least one risk factor, and use of
an acceptable definition of depression.
The validity of studies was assessed ac-
cording to the four primary criteria for
risk factor studies described by the Evi-
dence-Based Medicine Working Group. In-
formation about group size at baseline
and follow-up, age, proportion of men,
depression criteria, exclusion criteria at baseline, length of follow-up, number of
incident cases of depression, and risk fac-
tors was abstracted from each report.