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Sarcopenia Prevalence Using Different Definitions in Older Community-Dwelling Canadians

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The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Objectives

Sarcopenia is a debilitating condition affecting millions of individuals worldwide and is defined with different criteria. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia in older Canadians using three internationally accepted criteria.

Design

Observational cohort study.

Settings and participants

Data from 12,592 subjects [6,314 males (50.1%), 6,278 females (49.9%)] ≥65 years old in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging were included. Measurements: Appendicular lean mass (ALM; kg) and appendicular lean mass index (ALM kg/height in m2) were collected from dual X-ray absorptiometry measurements. Physical performance was assessed using the 4-m gait speed test, and muscle strength was measured by hand dynamometry. Sarcopenia was defined according to criteria put forth by the International Working Group on Sarcopenia (IWGS), Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Sarcopenia Project, and revised European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP). Positive and negative percent agreements and Cohen’s kappa (κ) described the agreement among sarcopenia definitions.

Results

Among the evaluated criteria, gait speed ≤ 1.0 m/s (IWGS definition of slowness) was the most frequently identified deficit (56.8% males, 57.2% females). The prevalence of sarcopenia ranged from 1.4 to 5.2% in males and 1.6 to 7.2 % in females among the different definitions. Positive percent agreement values among criteria were generally low (range: 1.5–55.3%) and corresponded to κ indicating none to minimal agreement (0.01–0.23). Negative percent agreement values were ≥ 95%.

Conclusion

Sarcopenia prevalence was relatively low in older Canadian adults and current definitions had poor agreement in diagnosing individuals as sarcopenic.

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Funding

Funding: This work (specifically, data from the CLSA) was supported by the Government of Canada through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) under grant reference: LSA 9447 and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The CLSA is led by Drs. Parminder Raina, Christina Wolfson and Susan Kirkland. This work was also supported by a CIHR Catalyst Grant FRN 151279. C. M. Prado is supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator Salary Award and the Campus Alberta Innovates Program.

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Author notes

  1. these authors contributed equally to this work

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Nutrition Research Unit, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    S. A. Purcell, M. Mackenzie & Carla M. Prado

  2. Division of Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA

    S. A. Purcell

  3. Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil

    T. G. Barbosa-Silva

  4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Catholic University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil

    T. G. Barbosa-Silva

  5. Department of Kinanthropology, Faculty of Physical Activity Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

    I. J. Dionne

  6. Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    S. Ghosh

  7. Department of Client Solutions, Canadian Western Bank, Headquarter Office, Edmonton, Canada

    O. V. Olobatuyi

  8. School of Life Sciences, the University of Nottingham Medical School, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK

    M. Siervo

  9. School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    M. Ye

  10. 4-002 Li Ka Shing Centre for Health Research Innovation (Office 2-021E), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2E1

    Carla M. Prado

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  1. S. A. Purcell
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  2. M. Mackenzie
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  3. T. G. Barbosa-Silva
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  9. Carla M. Prado
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Contributions

Author contributions: Study concept and design: ID, MS, CMP. Acquisition of data: CMP. Analysis and interpretation of data: All authors. Drafting of the manuscript: MM and SAP. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: All authors.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carla M. Prado.

Ethics declarations

Ethical standards: This investigation was approved by the Research Ethics Office at the University of Alberta (Study ID Pro00070975). All participants provided written informed consent and data were de-identified before analyses by the study team.

Conflicts of interest: The authors have no conflicts of interests to declare.

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Purcell, S.A., Mackenzie, M., Barbosa-Silva, T.G. et al. Sarcopenia Prevalence Using Different Definitions in Older Community-Dwelling Canadians. J Nutr Health Aging 24, 783–790 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-020-1427-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-020-1427-z

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