Validating the SARC-F: a suitable community screening tool for sarcopenia?

• Published in: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association Vol. 15; no. 9; p. 630
• Main Authors: Woo, Jean, Leung, Jason, Morley, John E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.09.2014
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Female; Geriatric Assessment - methods; Hong Kong - epidemiology; Humans; Male; Mass Screening - methods; Prospective Studies; Risk Assessment; Sarcopenia - diagnosis; Sarcopenia - epidemiology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Hong Kong; physical limitation; Sarcopenia; screening
• ISSN: 1538-9375
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2014.04.021

Using data from the Hong Kong Mr and Ms Os study, we validated the SARC-F against 3 consensus definitions of sarcopenia from Europe, Asia, and an international group, and compared the ability of all 4 measures to predict 4-year physical limitation, walking speed, and repeated chair stands. Prospective cohort study. Hong Kong community. Four thousand men and women living in the community. A questionnaire regarding ability to carry a heavy load, walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, and falls frequency was administered. These questions were used to calculate the SARC-F score. Measurements, including appendicular muscle mass, were taken using dual-energy X-ray, grip strength using a dynamometer, 6-m gait speed, and time taken for repeated chair stand. Classification using the SARC-F score was compared using consensus panel criteria from international, European, and Asian sarcopenia working groups. The performance of all 4 methods was compared by examining the predictive ability for 4-year outcomes using ROC curve. The SARC-F has excellent specificity but poor sensitivity for sarcopenia classification; however, all 4 methods have comparable but modest predictive power for 4-year physical limitation. The SARC-F may be considered a suitable tool for community screening for sarcopenia.