Depression in children, a serious mental health problem, can result in poor school performance. Few studies have evaluated how demographic factors influence depression in children. This study analyzed the data from the 1997 National Health Interview Survey in children aged 2 - 17 years to examine the prevalence of depression and its correlates.

Among 14,290 children participating in the survey, 9,547 were administered a questionnaire with depression information, and 9,464 (99%) provided valid data. The proportion of races and the prevalence of self-reported depression are shown below. Native American children had the highest depression rate (p< .001).

Race	% Total	% Depression	Race	% Total	% Depression
Caucasians	54.4	22.9	Native Americans	1.2	36.0
African Americans	16.8	18.5	Asian Americans	3.3	16.2
Latinos	20.3	19.7	Other	4.0	22.0

Depression increased as age increased, with a peak between 16-17 years (28.6%). Children from low income families (<$20,000) were more likely to report being depressed than children from families with higher incomes. The western region showed slightly higher depression rates. Multivariate analysis revealed that race was an independent risk factor for depression even after adjusting for age, family income, parents' education and geographic region. Compared to Asian American children who had the lowest depression rate, being Native American increased the risk of depression 2.6 fold (p < .001).

The results suggest an urgent need to improve mental health education, to screen for depression, and to provide necessary treatment for depression among Native American children.