Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward sarcopenia among older adults in two cities in Zhejiang province, China

To explore the knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) towards sarcopenia among older adults in Zhejiang province, China.

This cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2023 and January 2024 among older community residents who participated in a physical examination in Shaoxing People's Hospital Physical Examination Center, Shaoxing Yuecheng District Fushan Street Community Health Service Center, Shaoxing Yuecheng District Beihai Street Community Health Service Center, Shaoxing City, and Outpatient Department of Yongkang First People's Hospital. Their demographic characteristics and KAP towards sarcopenia were collected by a self-designed questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to explore the relationship among KAP dimensions.

A total of 1092 valid questionnaires were included. The median knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 0 (0, 0) (possible range: 0-22), 31 (30, 31) (possible range: 8-40), and 17 (15, 21) (possible range: 6-30), respectively. The SEM showed that knowledge directly positively influenced attitude (β = 0.121, P < 0.001) and practice (β = 0.171, P < 0.001). Attitude directly positively influenced practice (β = 0.116, P < 0.001); therefore, the knowledge showed an indirect influence on practice via attitude.

Older adults in two cities in Zhejiang province, China, showed insufficient knowledge but moderate attitude and practice towards sarcopenia. It is imperative to design interventions to improve knowledge about sarcopenia and improve self-management and patient outcomes.