Prevalence and Determinants of Sarcopenia Among Older Adults in India: Insights From the Longitudinal Aging Study in India.

BACKGROUND

Sarcopenia, characterized by declining muscle mass and function, is a growing concern among India's aging population. This study investigates sarcopenia's prevalence and determinants using the nationally representative LASI dataset.

METHODS

This analysis included 26,780 community-dwelling adults aged 60 and above, with informed consent obtained from all participants. Sarcopenia was defined using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) 2019 criteria. Demographic, socioeconomic, health, and geriatric factors, including age, sex, living arrangements, economic status, comorbidities, and geriatric syndromes, were examined. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze associations with sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia, and results were expressed as relative risk ratios (RRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).

RESULTS

The prevalence of sarcopenia was 43.6% (n = 11,665), and 19.4% (n = 5202) had severe sarcopenia. Sociodemographic factors significantly associated with sarcopenia and severe sarcopenia included being widowed (RRR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.12-1.37 for sarcopenia; RRR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.64-2.03 for severe sarcopenia) or divorced (RRR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.12-2.54 for severe sarcopenia). Additionally, a higher BMI and higher education level were associated with a lower risk of sarcopenia. Among comorbidities, joint and bone diseases were linked to both sarcopenia (RRR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.07-1.35) and severe sarcopenia (RRR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.23-1.58), while hypertension (RRR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.1-1.36), chronic lung disease (RRR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.02-1.44), and cerebrovascular accident (RRR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.09-2.08) were specifically associated with severe sarcopenia. Geriatric syndromes such as tooth loss, impaired vision and hearing, history of falls, and depression were significantly associated with increased risk of sarcopenia.

CONCLUSION

This study reveals significant associations between sarcopenia and various sociodemographic factors, comorbidities, and geriatric syndromes in older adults in India, suggesting potential areas for targeted intervention. However, further longitudinal studies are needed to validate these findings and clarify the causal relationships of the observed associations.