Socioeconomic Inequality and Risk of Sarcopenia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Introduction Maintaining skeletal muscle function throughout life is a crucial component of successful aging. Disadvantaged socioeconomic position (SEP) is associated with adverse health outcomes, but has not been extensively studied for the muscle disease sarcopenia. We aimed to determine the prevalence of probable sarcopenia, a precursor to sarcopenia diagnosis, based on the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2) guidelines overall, and according to SEP. Methods This cross-sectional study comprised 3342 community-dwelling older adults [mean age (SD) 68.9 ± 6.3 years] from Wave 1 of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Probable sarcopenia was identified using gender-specific cut-off values for handgrip strength as recommended by EWGSOP2. SEP was defined by educational attainment. Multivariate regression analysis was employed to determine associations between probable sarcopenia and pre-defined risk factors. Results Overall, 23.4% of the population had probable sarcopenia and was significantly higher in the subset with low compared with high SEP (28.9% vs 18.1%, p<0.001). Consistent with this, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that disadvantaged SEP was a significant determinant of probable sarcopenia [OR, CI 1.48 (1.17, 1.87) p<0.001]. Other known risk factors, namely, increased age, low physical activity, comorbidity, and osteoarthritis were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of probable sarcopenia, while overweight/obesity appeared to be protective. Conclusion Disadvantaged SEP was an independent determinant of probable sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults. These findings highlight that SEP and health inequality should be considered in prevention and treatment policy for sarcopenia in the community.

Embedding Physical Activity Within Community Home Support Services for Older Adults in Ireland – A Qualitative Study of Barriers and Enablers

“…The latter, may reflect negative perceptions around physical activity in aging which have been similarly reported elsewhere, 37 , 38 often reflecting views that older people should “rest”. While evidence to the contrary is now vast, and physical inactivity is strongly associated with muscle loss (sarcopenia) 39 , 40 and poorer physical and mental health outcomes. 38 Current guidelines recommend physical activity for all older adults, including people living with frailty or disability.…”

Analyzing Successful Aging and Longevity: Risk Factors and Health Promoters in 2020 Older Adults

“…Usually, they had engaged in more intellectually demanding occupations and earned more. The impact of socioeconomic factors on cognitive functions and some GSs has been confirmed in several studies [24][25][26][27]. Thus, we can consider higher levels of education, intellectually demanding occupation throughout life, high income, and no family history of cognitive decline as anti-risk factors for healthy longevity.…”

South Asian Working Action Group on SARCOpenia (SWAG-SARCO) – A consensus document

“…The secondary causes of sarcopenia result from comorbidities that affect the patient's osteo-arthro-muscular triad or the bio-psycho-social triad in some way, leading to poor quality of life (QoL). There is abundant literature to support the osteo-arthro-muscular triad [ [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] , [27] , [28] ] or the bio-psycho-social triad [ [29] , [30] , [31] , [32] ] comorbidities as a cause of secondary sarcopenia. Corresponding literature from South Asia includes an article from Pakistan, that mentions that major depression is associated with low QoL and leads to sarcopenia with loss of muscle mass and function [ 33 ].…”