Prevalence and related factors of possible sarcopenia among Thai community-dwelling older adults

Sarcopenia is a geriatric syndrome that increases the risk of fall-related injury. Low muscle strength with or without reduced physical performance is used to identify possible sarcopenia, or those at risk of sarcopenia. To date, there is limited evidence available regarding the situation of sarcopenia risk among Thai older adults. Our study evaluated the prevalence of possible sarcopenia and determined the related factors among Thai community-dwelling older adults. Information about socio-demography, chewing difficulty, and food consumption was collected by interview as well as anthropometric measurements. Possible sarcopenia was defined using the recommendation of the 2019 Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) consensus. Factors that were related to possible sarcopenia were examined using multiple logistic regression, presented as adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). Participants were randomly selected using multi-stage sampling from population registers provided by local village health staff in selected sub-districts of Khon Kaen province. Among 510 older adults, the mean age was 69.1 (SD = 6.7) years, 67.3% were women, and 29.2% of them had chewing difficulty. The overall prevalence of possible sarcopenia was 32.2%. Women with high waist circumference (WC) had a higher rate of possible sarcopenia than men (25.9% and 10.5%, respectively). Factors relating to possible sarcopenia were chewing difficulty (AOR = 2.10; 95% CI: 1.36-3.22; p-value = 0.001), low mid-upper arm circumference or MUAC (AOR = 6.51; 95% CI: 3.40-12.47; p-value < 0.001), and normal waist circumference or WC (AOR = 2.14; 95% CI: 1.35-3.39; p-value = 0.001). Possible sarcopenia was prevalent among Thai community-dwelling older adults. Chewing difficulty, low MUAC, and normal WC were related to possible sarcopenia. Dietary and exercise modifications in this population are therefore a good target for lessening the occurrence of possible sarcopenia.