SARCOPENIA PREVALENCE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS IN ELDERLY PEOPLE ASSISTED BY PRIMARY HEALTH CARE, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY SARCOPENIA PREVALENCE IN ELDERLY

Background: Sarcopenia is prevalent in the elderly population and has been postulated as the main factor for the decline in strength with age, representing a health deficient state with a personal high cost. Objective: To identify the prevalence of sarcopenia and its association with anthropometric and socioeconomic factors in elderly patients assisted by primary health care. Design and Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted with 136 individuals aged 60 years and older. Socioeconomic and demographic status, and anthropometric profile were assessed for all individuals. For the diagnosis of sarcopenia it was considered muscle wasting associated with loss of muscle strength. Logistic regression model was performed to identify the risk factors for sarcopenia considering a 5% significance level for the corresponding p-value. Results: The prevalence of sarcopenia in the studied population was 37.5%, however being higher among men (66.6%). Of those individuals with sarcopenia, 50% of men and 29% of women were overweight, 35% of men and 64% of women had abnormal waist to hip ratio. Retirement (OR: 2.165; CI: 1.037 to 4.250) and smoking (OR: 9.435; CI: 1.228 to 72.499) represented risk factors for sarcopenia. Conclusion: The study population had a high prevalence of sarcopenia, along with a high prevalence of abdominal obesity, which may be an important causal factor for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes susceptibility. Sarcopenia was associated with behavioral (smoking) and demographic (retirement) variables.