ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the prevalence of sarcopenia among community-dwelling Chinese elderly and to explore the related factors.Methods:Data were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey(CHARLS)in 2015, an open national database.According to the criteria of the Asian Working Group(AWGS)on Sarcopenia in 2014, a cross-sectional survey was conducted on 7 584 Chinese residents aged 60 years and over who had undergone the standard sarcopenia test.General socio-demographic characteristics and living habits were compared between different gender groups.The prevalence of sarcopenia was analyzed with stratification.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze risk factors for sarcopenia.Results:The overall prevalence of sarcopenia was 6.4%(95% CI: 5.9-7.0)among the Chinese population aged 60 years or older.In the stratified analysis, the prevalence of sarcopenia was higher in males(9.9%, 95% CI: 9.0-10.9)than in females(3.0%, 95% CI: 2.4-3.5), in rural areas(7.2%, 95% CI: 6.5-7.9)than in urban areas(4.3%, 95% CI: 3.4-5.2), and in smokers(8.8%, 95% CI: 7.6-10.0)than in non-smokers(4.2%, 95% CI: 3.6-4.8). Multivariate Logistic regression showed that male gender( OR=5.368, 95% CI: 4.126-6.985)and old age( OR=1.191, 95% CI: 1.172-1.210)were risk factors for sarcopenia.In addition, the occurrence of sarcopenia was significantly associated with physical pain( OR=2.181, 95% CI: 1.695-2.673), alcohol consumption( OR=1.426, 95% CI: 1.057-1.923), low education level( OR=2.875, 95% CI: 1.577-5.241), increased waist circumference( OR=0.982, 95% CI: 0.973-0.990), decreased peak expiratory flow( OR=0.995, 95% CI: 0.994-0.997)and increased cystatin C levels( OR=2.088, 95% CI: 1.247-3.495)( P<0.05). Conclusions:The prevalence of sarcopenia is high among community-dwelling elderly in China, and the occurrence of sarcopenia is closely related to age, gender, education level, Waist circumference and alcohol consumption.