Prevalence of sarcopenia and its association with activities of daily living among japanese nursing home residents

Sarcopenia is an important predictor of adverse outcomes in elderly people. Based on a common clinical experience, sarcopenia may be associated with activities of daily living (ADL). To our knowledge, no study has investigated the association between sarcopenia and ADL in nursing home residents requiring long-term care. This cross-sectional study included 250 nursing home residents. Nutritional status, physical function, ADL and cognitive function were assessed using Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Barthel Index (BI) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). To examine the factors that may affect self-care capacity, a stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was performed. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 45.2%. Age, MMSE, MNA-SF, SPPB, and grip strength were independently associated with BI. A high prevalence of sarcopenia was observed among nursing home residents in Japan. However, sarcopenia was not associated with ADL. (C) 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.