Sarcopenic obesity and falls in older adults: A validation study of ESPEN/EASO criteria and modifications in Western China communities.

OBJECTIVES

The ESPEN and the EASO recently developed consensus criteria for sarcopenic obesity (SO), employing the skeletal muscle mass to weight (SMM/W) ratio. Emerging evidence suggests that adjusting skeletal muscle mass for body mass index (SMM/BMI) could enhance the predictive accuracy for health outcomes. We aimed to validate the ESPEN/EASO criteria and explore the potential benefits of the SMM/BMI adjustment in predicting falls among older adults in Western China.

METHODS

We conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional study and included community-dwelling older adults. The diagnosis of SO was determined using the standard ESPEN/EASO consensus criteria (SO) and a modified version adjusting SMM/BMI (SO). The associations of SO, SO, and their components with falls were analyzed.

RESULTS

Among the 1353 participants, the prevalence of SO was 13.2 % (SO) and 11.4 % (SO), which increased with age and higher BMI levels. Within participants with a normal BMI, 4.2 % and 6.2 % were found to have SO and SO, respectively. SMM/W and SMM/BMI negatively correlated with fall risk (p=0.042 and p=0.021, respectively). Upon adjusting for confounders, only SO was significantly associated with falls (odds ratios [OR] 1.61, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.08 to 2.40), whereas the association for SO did not achieve significance (OR 1.55, 95 % CI 0.99 to 2.43).

CONCLUSIONS

This research validated the ESPEN/EASO criteria (SO) and their modified version (SO) among community-dwelling older adults in Western China. The SMM/BMI adjustment appears to offer a lower estimate of SO prevalence, with only SO showing a significant association with falls.