German Version of SARC-F: Translation, Adaption, and Validation

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Sarcopenia, a geriatric syndrome, significantly impacts older adults' health and mobility.
• Screening tools are essential for early detection and intervention of sarcopenia.
• The SARC-F (Strength, Assistance with walking, Rise from a chair, Climb stairs, Falls) is a widely used screening tool for sarcopenia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate, culturally adapt, and validate the German version of the SARC-F for community-dwelling older adults in Germany.
• To assess the reliability and validity of the German SARC-F for sarcopenia screening.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 117 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 79.1 years).
• Translation and cultural adaptation followed World Health Organization guidelines.
• Validation included test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability, internal consistency, sensitivity, specificity, and ROC analysis based on EWGSOP2 criteria.

Main Results:

• The German SARC-F demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability and good test-retest reliability, with acceptable internal consistency.
• Sensitivity (63%) and specificity (47%) for sarcopenia were low.
• For probable sarcopenia, the German SARC-F showed 75% sensitivity and 67% specificity.

Conclusions:

• The German version of the SARC-F is a suitable tool for case finding of probable sarcopenia in older adults.
• Its low sensitivity for sarcopenia necessitates caution, but its utility for probable sarcopenia screening is confirmed.
• Further research may explore its application in diverse geriatric populations.