OCCUPATION AND HEALTH ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (14): 1952-1958.

• Treatise—Epidemiology and Preventive Health Care • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Analysis of the influencing factors of depressive symptoms among rural elderly people in Shandong Province based on the random forest algorithm

DING Ran1, LIU Xiaoyu1, LENG Minmin2, YANG Lijuan2, ZHANG Aihua1()   

  1. 1 Shandong First Medical University&Shandong Academy of Medical SciencesTaianShandong 271016, China
    2 Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical UniversityJinanShandong 250021, China
  • Received:2025-04-07 Revised:2025-09-05 Online:2026-07-15 Published:2026-07-16
  • Contact: ZHANG Aihua,E-mail:zhangah818@163.com

Abstract:

Objective To analyze the current situation and influencing factors of depressive symptoms among rural elderly people in Shandong Province based on the random forest algorithm,aiming to provide a basis for preventing and controlling the occurrence of depressive symptoms in the elderly. Methods Convenience sampling was used to select 5 136 rural elderly people in Shandong Province from April to June 2024,and the patient health questionnaire was used to screen for depressive symptoms.The random forest algorithm was used to screen and rank the influencing factors of depressive symptoms,and multi-factor Logistic regression was used to analyze these influencing factors. Results The score of depressive symptoms[MP25P75)] among 5 136 rural elderly people was 1.00(0.00,4.00)points,and the overall detection rate was 19.5%.The random forest algorithm showed that sleep quality,self-rated health status,and medical payment method were the top three variables in terms of importance. The results of Logistic regression analysis showed that age≥80 years(OR=0.740,95%CI:0.556-0.985),monthly income of 1 000-<3 500 yuan(OR=0.704,95%CI:0.525-0.945),monthly income ≥3 500 yuan(OR=0.555,95%CI:0.341-0.903),medical payment method being resident medical insurance(OR=0.477,95%CI:0.351-0.649),alcohol consumption(OR=0.757,95%CI:0.600-0.954),good sleep quality(OR=0.190,95%CI:0.160-0.225),moderate social support level(OR=0.319,95%CI:0.170-0.601),and high social support level(OR=0.276,95%CI:0.144-0.529) were protective factors for depressive symptoms in the elderly(all P<0.05). ≥4 types of medication(OR=1.527,95%CI:1.147-2.033),3-6 types of chronic diseases(OR=1.709,95%CI:1.176-2.483),≥7 types of chronic diseases(OR=2.022,95%CI:1.245-3.283),decreased vision(OR=1.492,95%CI=1.261-1.765),self-rated general health status(OR=3.875,95%CI:2.916-5.151) and self-rated poor health status(OR=5.295,95%CI:2.55-10.985),decreased ability in daily living activities(OR=1.894,95%CI:1.380-2.599),and decline in cognitive function(OR=1.371,95%CI:1.121-1.678) were risk factors for depressive symptoms in the elderly(all P<0.05). Conclusion The incidence of depressive symptoms among the elderly in rural areas in Shandong Province is relatively high,and there are many influencing factors,including age,monthly income,medical payment method,types of medication,alcohol consumption,number of chronic diseases,vision,self-rated health status,cognitive function,sleep quality,activities of daily living,and social support level.Effective intervention measures should be jointly taken at all levels and targeted at key populations to reduce the occurrence of depressive symptoms among rural elderly people in Shandong.

Key words: Random forest algorithm, Rural area, Elderly, Depressive symptoms, Influencing factors

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