Prevalence of antidepressant use and associated factors among adults in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, 2006

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence and determinants of antidepressant use among adults in a city in southern Brazil. The cross-sectional study was based on interviews with adults 40 years or older living in the urban area of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, 2006. The chi-squared test was used for comparisons between proportions. Non-conditional logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis, with robust adjustment for variance. A total of 1,327 adults were interviewed, of whom 9.3% had used antidepressants. Use of antidepressants was significantly associated with female gender (OR: 2.45; 95%CI: 1.50-4.02), higher socioeconomic status (OR: 2.07; 95%CI: 1.28-3.34), and unemployment (OR: 1.65; 95%CI: 1.06-2.55). The prevalence of antidepressant use was higher than in other studies. Identification of individual determinants of use can serve as the basis for strategies to decrease the consumption of antidepressants in these groups.