Saeid Safiri
1, Narges Khanjani
2*, Ahmad Kusha
3, Mohammad Reza Narimani
4, Nahid Karamzad
51 MSc Student, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Department of Health Education, School of Health and Nutrition, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
4 Department of Health Services Management, School of Health and Nutrition, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
5 Department of Nutrition, School of Health and Nutrition, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Depression is a debilitating disease which is caused by social and environmental factors in additionto genetic factors. University students are among the young and vulnerable population to depression and theirpopulation is increasing with increase in universities and higher education institutions. Therefore, any disturbance instudent's mental and physical health is a serious threat for the next generation. In this study, we aimed to estimate theprevalence of depression and its related factors in students of School of Health and Nutrition at Tabriz University ofMedical Sciences, Iran. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey on 175 students selected by stratified random sampling, educating indifferent fields at School of Health and Nutrition in 2009. The data collection tool was the short form of the standardBeck Depression Inventory (BDI) which is used for screening depression. The collected data were analyzed by softwareStata Statistical Software, Release 10.0 (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA). RESULTS: The results showed that 62.7% of the students had depression and from these 10.9% suffered from severedepression. Significantly higher depression rates were seen in students with worrisome about the future. Marriedstudents, those interested in their field of study, those performing prayers and regularly reading the Quran hadsignificantly lower rates of depression. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the high prevalence of depression, screening strategies should be implemented to identifydepressed students. Counseling services should be available and accessible to students at risk.