Possible sarcopenia and its risk factors in a home for seniors in Shanghai

• Published in: Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol. 32; no. 1; pp. 70 - 76
• Main Authors: Sun, Jianqin, Yuan, Wuke, Chen, Min, Chen, Yanqiu, Xu, Danfeng, Li, Zhen, Bai, Huijing, Xu, Qi, Jiang, Yuanrong, Gu, Jie, Li, Shengqi, Su, Chenxi, Gu, Lili, Fang, Jiaxin, Zhu, Xinyao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Clayton, Vic HEC Press 01.03.2023
• Subjects: Adults; Age; Aged; Alzheimer's disease; Chi-square test; China - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dietary supplements; Diseases; Exercise; Geriatric Assessment - methods; Hand Strength; Health risk assessment; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Malnutrition; Multivariate analysis; Muscle strength; Nutrition; Nutritional status; Older people; Osteoporosis; Physical fitness; Physiology; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Risk Factors; Sarcopenia; Sarcopenia - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Working groups; China; older adult; prevalence; AWGS 2019; risk factors; sarcopenia
• ISSN: 0964-7058; 1440-6047
• DOI: 10.6133/apjcn.202303_32(1).0011

Background and Objectives: The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) recommended various measures for identifying patients with possible sarcopenia in its 2019 consensus. The present survey aimed to assess older adults in a senior home to determine the prevalence and associated factors for possible sarcopenia and to compare the differences between various assessment pathways based on AWGS 2019 criteria. Methods and Study Design: This cross-sectional study examined 583 participants of a senior home. Patients with possible sarcopenia were determined through the following four pathways: [I] calf circumference (CC) + handgrip strength (HGS); [II] SARC-F+HGS; (III) SARC-CalF+HGS; and (IV) CC, SARC-F, and/or SARC-CalF+HGS. Results: The four assessment pathways revealed a high prevalence of possible sarcopenia in the older adults in the senior home ([I]=50.6%; [II]=46.8%; [III]=48.2%; [IV]=65.9%). There is significant difference in prevalence between pathway IV and the other pathways (p<0.001). A multivariate analysis revealed that advanced age, risk of malnutrition, malnutrition, high level of care, an exercise frequency of <3 times per week, and osteoporosis were correlated with a higher risk of possible sarcopenia. By contrast, oral nutritional supplements (ONS) reduced the risk of possible sarcopenia. Conclusions: This survey reported a high prevalence of possible sarcopenia in the older adults of the senior home and determined the associated influencing factors. Furthermore, our findings suggested that pathway IV is the most suitable pathway for the examined older adults which enabled the detection and early intervention of more possible sarcopenia.