# Prevalence and risk factors of sarcopenia and effect of sarcopenia on functional status and falls incidents among the elderly in Selangor

## TL;DR

This study examines sarcopenia prevalence, risk factors, and its impact on elderly functional status and falls in Selangor, Malaysia.

## Contribution

The study provides population-level insights into sarcopenia in Malaysia, identifying risk factors and its effects on daily living and falls.

## Key findings

- Sarcopenia prevalence was high, with 38.4% possible and 24.5% severe cases.
- Confirmed sarcopenia was linked to higher odds of functional dependence and falls.
- Female gender, diabetes, and locality were significant risk factors for sarcopenia.

## Abstract

The burden of sarcopenia is increasing but studies on sarcopenia at the population level are limited in Malaysia. This study was conducted to identify the prevalence, risk factors and effect of sarcopenia on functional status and falls among the elderly in Selangor state.

Anthropometry, body composition measurements and face-to-face interview using questionnaires on functional status and falls were conducted on 469 respondents. Prior to the interview, written informed consent was obtained from the respondents. The inclusion criteria for this study is being 60-years old and above, able to understand, read and speak Bahasa Malaysia or English language and voluntarily consents to participates in the study. Multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was used to measure the body composition. Sarcopenia assessment was done using the guideline from Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019.

The prevalence of possible sarcopenia, confirmed sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia were 38.4%, 10.0% and 24.5%, respectively. Prevalence of activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) dependence were 26.0% and 25.4%, respectively and 42.2% of the respondents experienced falls in the last 12 months. Multinomial logistic regression model showed that locality (AOR = 2.90; p < 0.001), type-2 diabetes mellitus (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.87; p = 0.031) and female gender (AOR = 2.58; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with possible sarcopenia. Female gender (AOR = 3.04; p = 0.005) and depression (AOR = 3.27; p = 0.048) were significantly associated with confirmed sarcopenia, where else hypertension (AOR = 0.45; p = 0.039) were found to be a protective factor for confirmed sarcopenia. Age (AOR = 4.52; p < 0.001), female gender (AOR = 1.84; p = 0.045), race (AOR = 3.82; p = 0.001), locality (AOR = 3.82; p < 0.001), level of education (AOR = 5.32; p = 0.010) and physical activity (AOR = 2.28; p = 0.029) were significantly associated with severe sarcopenia. The respondents with confirmed sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia were significantly associated with ADL (AOR = 10.54; p < 0.001) and IADL (AOR = 8.55; p < 0.001) dependence after adjustment for the covariates. In addition, after adjusting for covariates, respondents with possible sarcopenia (AOR = 3.34; p < 0.001) and respondents with confirmed sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia (AOR = 10.62; p < 0.001) were significantly associated with falls incidents.

The findings from this study highlights the detrimental effects of sarcopenia and the importance of early detection at the community level.