Characteristics, Nutritional Status, and Sarcopenia in the Elderly in Pangkalpinang City

Abstract

Sarcopenia is a decrease in muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance in the elderly ≥ 60 years. The study in 2016 found out that the prevalence of sarcopenia among the elderly in Indonesia was considerabely high (40.6%). The risk factors for sarcopenia include age, gender, lifestyle, nutritional status, physical activity, disability, and decreased independence. Obese sarcopenia is a double burden in the elderly who were less physically activity, because it was associated with functional disorders and disabilities that have an impact on the quality of life of the elderly. The purpose of this study was to analyze characteristics, nutritional status, and sarcopenia of the elderly in Pangkalpinang City. The quantitative observational study with cross sectional design. The subjects of this study involved 132 elderly people (60-69 years) in Girimaya Subdistrict, which was selected by purposive sampling. Data collection was carried out by interviews, anthropometric measurements (weight and height), measurement of muscle mass using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA); muscle strength using hand grip strength (HGS); and walking speed for 6 minutes. Analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistic version 21. The elderly with the most sex were women (74.2%), with an average age of 63 years. Most of the elderly (50.7%) are obese and 72.7% still work and live independently. Sarcopenia has not occurred in the elderly (based on muscle mass index), although there was a decrease in muscle strength (29.5%) and walking speed (71.2%). There was a significant correlated between the age of the elderly and the incidence of sarcopenia based on muscle mass index, muscle strength, and walking speed (p < 0.05). The nutritional status of the elderly was positively correlated with the muscle mass index (p = 0,000). Characteristics of the elderly (gender, age, and occupational status) and nutritional status were risk factors for sarcopenia based on muscle mass index, muscle strength, and walking speed. Provide nutritional education about the factors that influence changes during the aging process to prevent decrease in muscle mass and physical function.