Daily lifestyle behaviors and risks of sarcopenia among older adults

Lifestyle behaviors are modifiable factors that can provide information for designing intervention strategies for sarcopenia. The present study aimed to identify the relationships between a range of daily lifestyle behaviors and sarcopenia risks among older adults.

A nationwide telephone-based survey targeting older adults (≥65 years) was performed in Taiwan. Data based on self-reported daily lifestyle behaviors (food selection, physical activity, sitting time, and sleep duration), the presence or absence of sarcopenia (measured by SARC-F), and personal characteristics were obtained. Binary logistic regression models were applied.

A total of 1068 older adults participated in this survey. In the adjusted model, older adults who selected unbalanced foods (odds ratio [OR] = 1.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.12-3.34), engaged in insufficient physical activity (OR = 5.14, 95% CI = 3.04-8.70), and sat for longer periods of time (OR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.09-3.59) were more likely to have higher risks of sarcopenia. No significant association was observed for sleep duration.

The results of this study highlight that, among health behaviors, an unbalanced food selection (six nutrients), not meeting physical activity recommendations (150 min/week), and a higher sitting time (≥7 h/day) were risk factors for sarcopenia among older adults. Intervention programs for sarcopenia prevention in older adults should focus on promoting balanced food selection, sufficient physical activity, and reduced sitting time.