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Background Despite the frequent co-occurrence of depression and diabetes, gender differences in their relationship remain unclear. Aims This exploratory study examined if gender modifies the association between depressive symptoms, prediabetes and diabetes with cognitive-affective and somatic depressive symptom clusters. Method Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on 29 619 participants from the 2007–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Depressive symptoms were measured by the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyse the relationship between depressive symptoms and diabetes. Multiple linear regression was used to analyse the relationship between depressive symptom clusters and diabetes. Results The odds of having depressive symptoms were greater in those with diabetes compared to those without. Similarly, total symptom cluster scores were higher in participants with diabetes. Statistically significant diabetes–gender interactions were found in the cognitive-affective symptom cluster model. Mean cognitive-affective symptom scores were higher for females with diabetes (coefficient = 0.23, CI: 0.10, 0.36, P = 0.001) than males with diabetes (coefficient = −0.05, CI: −0.16, 0.07, P = 0.434) when compared to the non-diabetic groups. Conclusions Diabetes was associated with higher cognitive-affective symptom scores in females than in males. Future studies should examine gender differences in causal pathways and how diabetic states interact with gender and influence symptom profiles.

Objectives: To examine consumption rates and serum ferritin (SF) concentrations (as a marker of safety) among schoolchildren (3–6 years) provided with daily and weekly micronutrients.Design and methods: Micronutrients were provided for one school term (13 weeks) to a kindergarten in northern China as single-dose Sprinkles™ sachets containing 30 mg of iron as encapsulated ferrous fumarate, 5 mg zinc gluconate, 50 mg vitamin C, 300 μg vitamin A, 7.5 μg vitamin D3 and 150 μg folic acid. Sixteen classrooms were randomly assigned to: (1) daily supplements for 5 days a week (daily group); (2) weekly supplements (weekly group); or (3) no supplements (control group). Consumption of sachets was monitored for each child and SF concentrations were measured at the end of study. Random effects general linear models and graphs were used to compare the groups.Results: A total of 415 children from 16 classrooms entered the study. At the end of the study, mean consumption rates per child were 86% (daily group; standard deviation (SD) 12%) and 87% (weekly group; SD 16%). Median SF concentrations were 71 μg l−1 (range 27–292 μg l−1; daily group), 55 μg l−1 (range 11–299 μg l−1; weekly group) and 54 μg l−1 (range 7–327 μg l−1; control group); the overall difference was not significant (P=0.06). However, the daily group was significantly different from the control (P=0.02); daily and weekly groups had higher SF at lower percentiles and similar SF at higher percentiles compared with the control group.Conclusion: The high consumption rates and appropriate SF concentrations in the supplemented groups suggest that a short-term school programme with Sprinkles is an efficient and safe way to provide micronutrients (including iron). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]