Utility of SARC-F in daycare facilities for older people

SARC-F, a sarcopenia screening tool, has limited use but may be beneficial for detecting sarcopenia in frail older people. This study aimed to clarify the validity of the SARC-F questionnaire in older people.

In this validation study, 74 (36 men; age, 81.9 ± 6.7 years, 38 women; age, 83 ± 6.2 years) community-dwelling older people who attended a daycare facility participated in our study. Participants completed the SARC-F and SARC-calf circumference (SARC-CalF) questionnaires, and their body composition, walk speed and grip strength were measured. Sarcopenia was determined using the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia criteria, and the participants were divided into non-sarcopenia and sarcopenia groups. SARC-F and SARC-CalF scores were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for sarcopenia considering the area under the curve. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha.

The prevalence of sarcopenia, defined by physical characteristics, was 60.0% in men and 48.1% in women. The area under the curve of the SARC-F for sarcopenia was 0.703 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.585-0.821, P = 0.001). Cronbach's alpha was 0.81, and the internal consistency was high. SARC-F had lower sensitivity (0.47; 95% CI: 0.31-0.64) but higher specificity (0.78; 95% CI: 0.60-0.89) than the sensitivity and specificity of SARC-CalF, respectively, and the sensitivity of SARC-F was higher than that reported in previous studies.

The SARC-F questionnaire is more sensitive in assessing sarcopenia in low-functioning populations and can be used as a screening tool for sarcopenia in long-term daycare facilities for older people rather than in community-based healthcare activities. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 889-893.