Exploring Risk Factors Related to Low Calf Circumference in Older Adults With Multimorbidity: Cross-Sectional Latent...

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Sarcopenia, characterized by skeletal muscle mass loss, is increasing with global population aging.
• Low calf circumference (CC) is a recognized indicator of reduced skeletal muscle mass and sarcopenia.
• Limited research exists on risk factors for low CC combined with multimorbidity in Chinese community-dwelling older adults.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate risk factors associated with low calf circumference (CC) in older adults with multimorbidity.
• To identify distinct categories of multimorbidity within the low CC population using an individual-centered approach.

Main Methods:

• Latent class analysis was employed to categorize multimorbidity patterns in 7956 eligible participants from the 2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey.
• Multiple logistic regression, with elastic net for variable selection, identified risk factors for low CC and multimorbidity.

Main Results:

• 27.2% of participants had multimorbidity with low CC; prevalence increased with age up to 89 years.
• Five distinct multimorbidity groups were identified: multisystem diseases, arthritis/rheumatism, diabetes/hypertension, respiratory/heart diseases, and cardiovascular diseases.
• Demographic, behavioral, and health factors influenced these groups; poor self-reported health and urban living were notable risk factors.

Conclusions:

• Low CC is prevalent in community-dwelling older adults, often alongside multimorbidity, not strictly increasing with age.
• Five distinct multimorbidity groups with unique risk factors were identified.
• Targeted public health interventions for low CC in older adults with multimorbidity are recommended to improve health outcomes.