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Table 1 Mean GDS scores by participants’ characteristics

From: Selenium level and depressive symptoms in a rural elderly Chinese cohort

 

N

Mean

SD

p-value

Age group

    

 65-74

1002

7.68

5.83

<0.0001

 75-84

652

9.02

5.86

 

 85+

83

9.38

5.55

 

Gender

    

 Male

815

7.52

5.77

<0.0001

 Female

922

8.92

5.87

 

Ever attended school

    

 Yes

676

7.05

5.73

<0.0001

 No

1061

9.04

5.82

 

Marital status

    

 Married

1016

7.65

5.71

<0.0001*

 Widowed

704

9.08

5.91

 

 Other

17

11.47

8.18

 

Living arrangement#

    

 With spouse

828

7.39

5.69

<0.0001

 With children

585

8.85

5.58

 

 Living alone

311

9.60

6.51

 

Body Mass Index tertiles

    

 < 20.45

578

8.80

5.94

0.0025

 [20.45, 23.24)

577

8.38

6.02

 

 ≥ 23.24

582

7.62

5.57

 

Ever drink alcohol

    

 Yes

697

7.59

5.73

<0.0001

 No

1040

8.72

5.91

 

Smoking

    

 Current smoker

553

7.72

5.89

0.0013

 Former smoker

148

7.39

5.57

 

 Non-smoker

1036

8.68

5.85

 

History of Cancer

    

 Yes

33

8.85

6.51

0.5634

 No

1704

8.25

5.85

 

History of Parkinson’s

    

 Yes

36

8.67

6.04

0.6774

 No

1701

8.26

5.86

 

History of diabetes

    

 Yes

75

8.25

5.83

0.5435

 No

1662

8.67

6.64

 

History of hypertension^

    

 Yes

1029

8.36

5.83

0.4141

 No

708

8.13

5.91

 

History of stroke#

    

 Yes

45

10.20

6.97

0.0245

 No

1690

8.21

5.83

 

History of heart attack

    

 Yes

52

12.00

6.42

>0.0001

 No

1685

8.15

5.81

 

History of head injury

    

 Yes

66

11.42

6.44

<0.0001

 No

1671

8.14

5.81

 

History of fracture

    

 Yes

30

12.47

6.00

<0.0001

 No

1707

8.19

5.83

 

APOE e4 carriers

    

 Yes

291

8.51

5.69

0.4360

 No

1446

8.22

5.90

 

Selenium tertiles, μg/g

   

0.0132

 Low (<0.32)

561

8.83

5.64

 

 Medium [0.32, 0.47)

582

8.16

5.79

 

 High (≥ 0.47)

594

7.83

6.10

 

Quartile groups defined by

composite cognitive score

   

<0.0001

 Q4 (75 % to 100 %)

434

5.5

4.8

 

 Q3 (50 % to 75 %)

434

7.7

5.7

 

 Q2 (25 % to 50 %)

435

9.1

5.7

 

 Q1 (0 to 25 %)

434

10.7

5.9

 
  1. * Comparing those married to widowed, excluding those in the “other” group.
  2. ^ Blood pressure measure ≥ 140/90 or self-reported history of hypertension.
  3. #: 13 subjects had missing information on living arrangement and 2 subjects had missing information on the history of stroke.