Abstract #: L15

THE EFFECT OF NEIGHBOURHOOD CHARACTERISTICS ON THE RISK OF DEPRESSION IN A COMMUNITY SAMPLE WITH DIABETES. Genevieve Gariepy*, Dominic Comtois, Alexandra Blair, Benoit Thierry, Yan Kestens, Norbert Schmitz, (Douglas Institute McGill University, Verdun QC Canada)

Background: Depression is frequent in people with diabetes and can have detrimental effects on disease outcomes. The place where people live is thought to affect mental health above and beyond characteristics of individuals. Neighbourhood environments are particularly relevant to people with diabetes who rely on their local area for resources and support. Aim: To investigate the effects of a range of neighbourhood characteristics on depression in people with diabetes. Methods: We used 5 waves of data from 1,601 participants in the Diabetes Health Study (2008-2012). We assessed depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire. We measured neighbourhood deprivation using census data; density of businesses and services and land-use patterns using geospatial data; and level of greenness using satellite data. We estimated the effect of neighbourhood factors on incidence of depression using survival analysis for discrete-time data, adjusting for time-fixed and time varying confounders. We tested different radius sizes for neighbourhoods to find which was most relevant for our sample (500m, 1000m, 1500m). Results: The 5-year cumulative incidence of depression was 26%. Neighbourhood material deprivation, availability of physical activity services and level of greenness had significant effects on the risk of depression, after adjusting for age and sex. Only availability of physical activity services remained significant after adjusting for socioeconomic and health factors. Other neighbourhood features were not significant. Neighbourhood characteristics closer to home (500m radius) were most relevant to depression. Conclusion: Neighbourhoods which have greater availability of physical activity services are associated with lower risk of depression in people with diabetes. Further research is needed to investigate pathways relating this neighbourhood factor to depression.