Prevalence of sarcopenia and associated factors in individuals aged 65 years and older

Objective: The aim of this study is to raise awareness in the field of preventive medicine of the prevalence of sarcopenia in people aged 65 years and over who attend family health centres, and of the socio-demographic characteristics, comorbidities and other geriatric syndromes such as falls that may be associated with sarcopenia. Materials and Methods: The nature of this study is cross-sectional and descriptive. The population of our study consists of 1823 individuals aged 65 years and above who were registered in Afyonkarahisar Erkmen Family Health Centre, Ataköy Family Health Centre, Çayırbağ Family Health Centre, 15 Nolu Family Health Centre, Salar Family Health Centre, Sülümenli Family Health Centre in Afyonkarahisar province. The minimum number of patients aged 65 years and above was calculated as 230.48(231) by replacing the required values in the formula with the prediction that the individuals to be sampled with 5% deviation at 95% confidence level could be accepted into the study with the sample calculation with known population. The target sample size was achieved with 240 participants. The date range 10.12.2022-10.12.2023 was considered appropriate for the research period. Results: The mean age of the participants was 70.23±4.95 years, 69.99±4.96 years for women and 70.7±4.91 years for men. 240 (42.9%) of the 559 participants were positive for the SARC-F scale. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 13.59%, the prevalence of female sarcopenia was 12.46%, and the prevalence of male sarcopenia was 15.21%. There was a statistically significant difference between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic participants in terms of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, rheumatological disease, vision loss, urinary incontinence and history of falls, polypharmacy, exercise status and use of dietary supplements (p<0.005). There was no statistically significant difference between sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic participants in terms of hypertension, renal disease, depression, psychiatric disease, thyroid disease, malignancy, hearing loss, and sleep disorders (p>0.005). Conclusion: It is important to regularly screen individuals with screening tests for early diagnosis of sarcopenia, an important geriatric syndrome that reduces quality of life and significantly increases morbidity and mortality with the growing elderly population in our country and around the world. These screening tests can be practically applied in primary health care facilities that are easily accessible to the whole community. In family health centres providing primary health care services, where preventive medicine practices are at the forefront, knowing the disadvantaged groups in terms of sarcopenia and its risks, detecting them with appropriate screening tests, and carrying out their treatment and follow-up will be beneficial in preventing morbidity and mortality before irreversible damage occurs. Key words: Sarcopenia, Elderly, Muscle strength dynamometer, Muscle strength, Geriatric assessment, Family practice