The Association Between Sedentary Behavior and Sarcopenia Among Adults Aged >= 65 Years in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Smith L., Tully M., Jacob L., Blackburn N., Adlakha D., Caserotti P., ...More

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH, vol.17, no.5, 2020 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 17 Issue: 5
  • Publication Date: 2020
  • Doi Number: 10.3390/ijerph17051708
  • Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, Aqualine, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), CAB Abstracts, EMBASE, Geobase, MEDLINE, Pollution Abstracts, Veterinary Science Database, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Keywords: sarcopenia, sedentary behavior, older adults, low- and middle-income countries, WORLD-HEALTH-ORGANIZATION, SKELETAL-MUSCLE MASS, PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY, OLDER-ADULTS, OBESITY, PREVALENCE, TIME, FAT
  • Bezmialem Vakıf University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The present study aimed to assess the association between sedentary behavior and sarcopenia among adults aged >= 65 years. Cross-sectional data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health were analyzed. Sarcopenia was defined as having low skeletal muscle mass and either a slow gait speed or a weak handgrip strength. Self-reported sedentary behavior was assessed as a continuous variable (hours per day) and also as a categorical variable (0-<4, 4-<8, 8-<11, >= 11 hours/day). Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to assess the association between sedentary behavior and sarcopenia. Analyses using the overall sample and country-wise samples were conducted. A total of 14,585 participants aged >= 65 years were included in the analysis. Their mean age was 72.6 (standard deviation, 11.5) years and 55% were females. Compared to sedentary behavior of 0-<4 hours/day, >= 11 hours/day was significantly associated with 2.14 (95% CI = 1.06-4.33) times higher odds for sarcopenia. The country-wise analysis showed that overall, a one-hour increase in sedentary behavior per day was associated with 1.06 (95% CI = 1.04-1.10) times higher odds for sarcopenia, while the level of between-country heterogeneity was low (I-2 = 12.9%). Public health and healthcare practitioners may wish to target reductions in sedentary behavior to aid in the prevention of sarcopenia in older adults.