Assessing the risk of sarcopenia among community-dwelling older adults in Israel: a national cross-sectional survey.

PURPOSE: With aging population and the growing burden of sarcopenia on health systems, early risk assessment is essential. This study assessed the risk of sarcopenia and associated factors among community-dwelling older adults.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used data from the Israel National Elderly Falls Survey (2018-2019) among adults aged 65+ by the Israel Center for Disease Control. Data were collected via telephone interviews on demographic, health, and functional characteristics. Sarcopenia risk was assessed using the validated five-item Mini Sarcopenia Risk Assessment (MSRA-5) questionnaire, with a cutoff score of ≤ 45 indicating risk. Multivariable logistic regression estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for sarcopenia risk.

RESULTS

A total of 2668 participants were included in the study, with a mean age of 73.2 ± 5.7 years, and 56.3% were female. Based on the MSRA-5 cutoff score (≤ 45), 65.1% (n = 1738) were classified as at risk for sarcopenia. Older age (OR = 1.21 per 5-year increase, 95% CI 1.10-1.33), Arab ethnicity (OR = 2.05, 95% CI 1.59-2.64), lower education level (OR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.29-1.92), and anxiety/depression (OR = 1.83, 95% CI 1.32-2.54) were associated with the prevalence of sarcopenia risk. Functional limitations, including difficulty performing household activities (OR = 1.96, 95% CI 1.42-2.69) and physical inactivity (OR = 1.72, 95% CI 1.40-2.11), were also associated with sarcopenia risk. A dose-response relationship was observed with medication use, with progressively higher odds of sarcopenia risk among those taking > 8 medications per day (OR = 2.75, 95% CI 1.52-4.98).

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the high prevalence of sarcopenia risk among older adults in Israel and emphasize the importance of early screening to identify at-risk individuals.