The Relationship Between Gender, Physical Performance, and Quality of Life in Probable Sarcopenia Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to examine the relationships between gender-related probable sarcopenia, physical performance, and sarcopenia-specific quality of life in elderly individuals living in the community. Method: This cross-sectional study included 105 community-dwelling adults aged ≥60 years recruited by convenience sampling. Probable sarcopenia was identified using Turkish handgrip strength thresholds. Physical performance was assessed with gait speed, TUG, and Tinetti tests, and quality of life with SARQOL. Multivariable linear regression adjusted for age, sex, and physical activity; Holm correction was applied. Results: Probable sarcopenia was observed in 49.5% of the study population, with a higher prevalence among women than men (59.6% vs. 37.5%). After adjustment for age, female sex was independently associated with increased odds of probable sarcopenia (OR = 3.01; 95% CI: 1.30–6.96). Compared with women, men had higher SARQOL scores and more favorable physical performance outcomes. In multivariable linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, and physical activity, probable sarcopenia was significantly associated with poorer outcomes, including lower SARQOL scores (β = −9.43), lower handgrip strength, lower Tinetti total scores, slower gait speed, and longer TUG time. Physical activity was independently associated with higher SARQOL, shorter TUG time, and faster gait speed. All sarcopenia-related associations remained statistically significant after Holm correction. Discussion: Probable sarcopenia was common and more frequent in women. After adjustment for age, sex, and physical activity, probable sarcopenia was independently associated with lower SARQOL and poorer physical performance. Early screening and sex-specific interventions may improve clinical outcomes in community-dwelling older adults.

Keywords

• Probable Sarcopenia
• Physical Performance
• Quality of life
• Gender

Supporting Institution

No sponsoring institution has been identified.

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Lokman Hekim University Scientific Research Ethics Committee with decision number 2024/322 dated 30.12.2024. Informed consent was obtained from all individuals participating in the study.

Thanks

The authors would like to acknowledge Özge TAŞ for providing statistical support during the analysis of the data.

Toplumda Yaşayan Yaşlılarda Olası Sarkopeni Durumunda Cinsiyet, Fiziksel Performans ve Yaşam Kalitesi Arasındaki İlişki

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışma, toplumda yaşayan yaşlı bireylerde cinsiyete bağlı olası sarkopeni, fiziksel performans ve sarkopeniye özgü yaşam kalitesi arasındaki ilişkileri incelemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Yöntem: Bu kesitsel çalışmaya, kolaylık örneklemesi yoluyla seçilen 60 yaş ve üzeri 105 toplumda yaşayan yetişkin dahil edilmiştir. Olası sarkopeni, Türk el kavrama gücü eşik değerleri kullanılarak belirlenmiştir. Fiziksel performans yürüme hızı, TUG ve Tinetti testleriyle, yaşam kalitesi ise SARQOL ile değerlendirildi. Yaş, cinsiyet ve fiziksel aktiviteye göre düzeltilmiş çok değişkenli doğrusal regresyon analizi yapıldı; Holm düzeltmesi uygulandı. Bulgular: Çalışma popülasyonunun %49,5’inde olası sarkopeni gözlendi; kadınlarda erkeklere göre daha yüksek bir prevalans saptandı (%59,6’ya karşı %37,5). Yaş düzeltmesi yapıldıktan sonra, kadın cinsiyeti olası sarkopeni riskinin artmasıyla bağımsız olarak ilişkili bulunmuştur (OR = 3,01; %95 CI: 1,30–6,96). Kadınlara kıyasla erkeklerin SARQOL puanları daha yüksek ve fiziksel performans sonuçları daha olumluydu. Yaş, cinsiyet ve fiziksel aktiviteye göre düzeltilmiş çok değişkenli doğrusal regresyon modellerinde, olası sarkopeni; daha düşük SARQOL puanları (β = −9,43), daha düşük el kavrama gücü, daha düşük Tinetti toplam puanları, daha yavaş yürüme hızı ve daha uzun TUG süresi dahil olmak üzere daha kötü sonuçlarla anlamlı bir şekilde ilişkiliydi. Fiziksel aktivite, daha yüksek SARQOL puanı, daha kısa TUG süresi ve daha hızlı yürüme hızı ile bağımsız olarak ilişkiliydi. Sarkopeni ile ilişkili tüm bulgular, Holm düzeltmesinden sonra da istatistiksel olarak anlamlı kalmıştır. Tartışma: Olası sarkopeni yaygın bir durumdu ve kadınlarda daha sık görülüyordu. Yaş, cinsiyet ve fiziksel aktiviteye göre düzeltme yapıldıktan sonra, olası sarkopeni, daha düşük SARQOL puanı ve daha kötü fiziksel performans ile bağımsız olarak ilişkili bulunmuştur. Erken tarama ve cinsiyete özgü müdahaleler, toplumda yaşayan yaşlılarda klinik sonuçları iyileştirebilir.

Keywords

• Olası sarkopeni
• Fiziksel Performans
• Yaşam Kalitesi
• Cinsiyet farklılıkları

Supporting Institution

Destekleyici Kurum bulunmamaktadır.

Ethical Statement

Bu çalışma için Lokman Hekim Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırmalar Etik Kurulu’ndan 30.12.2024 tarih ve 2024/322 sayılı karar ile etik onay alınmıştır. Çalışmaya katılan tüm bireylerden bilgilendirilmiş onam alınmıştır.

Thanks

Yazarlar, verilerin analizi sırasında sağladığı istatistiksel destek için Özge TAŞ'a teşekkür ederler.

References

1. Organization WH. Ageing and Health 1 October 2025 [Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health.
2. (TÜİK) TİK. İstatistiklerle Yaşlılar, 2025 12 Mart 2026 [Available from: https://veriportali.tuik.gov.tr/tr/press/58231.
3. Karan MA, Satman İ, Atlı T, Öztürk GB, Cankurtaran M, Erdinçler DS, Halil M. Healthcare problems and possible solutions in older adults in Turkey: Geriatric syndromes and chronic diseases. European Journal of Geriatrics and Gerontology. 2024.
4. Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Bahat G, Bauer J, Boirie Y, Bruyère O, Cederholm T, et al. Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Age and ageing. 2019;48(1):16-31.
5. Kirk B, Cawthon PM, Arai H, Ávila-Funes JA, Barazzoni R, Bhasin S, et al. The conceptual definition of sarcopenia: Delphi consensus from the global leadership initiative in sarcopenia (GLIS). Age and ageing. 2024;53(3):afae052.
6. Xie W-Q, Xiao G-L, Hu P-W, He Y-Q, Lv S, Xiao W-F. Possible sarcopenia: early screening and intervention-narrative review. Annals of Palliative Medicine. 2020;9(6):4283293-4293.
7. Beaudart C, Tilquin N, Abramowicz P, Baptista F, Peng DJ, de Souza Orlandi F, et al. Quality of life in sarcopenia measured with the SarQoL questionnaire: A meta-analysis of individual patient data. Maturitas. 2024;180:107902.
8. Roberts HC, Denison HJ, Martin HJ, Patel HP, Syddall H, Cooper C, Sayer AA. A review of the measurement of grip strength in clinical and epidemiological studies: towards a standardised approach. Age and ageing. 2011;40(4):423-9.

9. Bahat G, Tufan A, Tufan F, Kilic C, Akpinar TS, Kose M, et al. Cut-off points to identify sarcopenia according to European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) definition. Clinical nutrition. 2016;35(6):1557-63.
10. de Almeida Marques R, de Souza VF, do Rosario TC, da Silva Garcia MRP, Pereira TSS, Marques-Rocha JL, Guandalini VR. Agreement between maximum and mean handgrip strength measurements in cancer patients. PLoS One. 2022;17(7):e0270631.
11. Maggio M, Ceda GP, Ticinesi A, De Vita F, Gelmini G, Costantino C, et al. Instrumental and non-instrumental evaluation of 4-meter walking speed in older individuals. PloS one. 2016;11(4):e0153583.
12. da Costa Teixeira LA, Soares LA, de Moura Oliveira MC, dos Santos Mourão MF, Lima LP, Nobre JNP, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of sit-to-stand chair test and timed up and go test with proposed cutoff point for identifying sarcopenia in community-dwelling older women: a cross-sectional study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2026.
13. Benjamin R, Pinkerman S. Tinetti gait and balance test. StatPearls [Internet]: StatPearls Publishing; 2025.
14. Beaudart C, Biver E, Reginster J-Y, Rizzoli R, Rolland Y, Bautmans I, et al. Development of a self-administrated quality of life questionnaire for sarcopenia in elderly subjects: the SarQoL. Age and ageing. 2015;44(6):960-6.
15. Erdogan T, Eris S, Avci S, Oren MM, Kucukdagli P, Kilic C, et al. Sarcopenia quality-of-life questionnaire (SarQoL)®: translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation in Turkish. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. 2021;33(11):2979-88.
16. Tsekoura M, Billis E, Matzaroglou C, Tsepis E, Gliatis J. Prevalence of probable sarcopenia in community-dwelling older Greek people. Journal of frailty, sarcopenia and falls. 2021;6(4):204.
17. Pérez-Sousa MÁ, del Pozo-Cruz J, Cano-Gutiérrez CA, Izquierdo M, Ramírez-Vélez R. High prevalence of probable sarcopenia in a representative sample from Colombia: implications for geriatrics in Latin America. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2021;22(4):859-64. e1.
18. dos Santos Paludo C, Gonzalez TN, Soares PSM, Meucci RD. Prevalence and factors associated with probable sarcopenia in southern Brazil: a population-based study. Rural and Remote Health. 2024;24(3):1-9.
19. Erbas Sacar D, Kılıc C, Oren MM, Erdogan T, Ozkok S, Ozer Aydın C, et al. Probable sarcopenia: associations with common geriatric syndromes and comorbidities in Turkish geriatric patients from a university hospital. European Geriatric Medicine. 2022;13(6):1299-308.
20. Yang Y, Zhang Q, He C, Chen J, Deng D, Lu W, Wang Y. Prevalence of sarcopenia was higher in women than in men: a cross-sectional study from a rural area in eastern China. PeerJ. 2022;10:e13678.
21. Du Y, Wang X, Xie H, Zheng S, Wu X, Zhu X, et al. Sex differences in the prevalence and adverse outcomes of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity in community dwelling elderly in East China using the AWGS criteria. BMC endocrine disorders. 2019;19(1):109.
22. Hashemi R, Shafiee G, Motlagh AD, Pasalar P, Esmailzadeh A, Siassi F, et al. Sarcopenia and its associated factors in Iranian older individuals: Results of SARIR study. Archives of gerontology and geriatrics. 2016;66:18-22.
23. Buckinx F, Aubertin-Leheudre M. Sarcopenia in menopausal women: current perspectives. International Journal of Women's Health. 2022:805-19.
24. Bian A, Ma Y, Zhou X, Guo Y, Wang W, Zhang Y, Wang X. Association between sarcopenia and levels of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 in the elderly. BMC musculoskeletal disorders. 2020;21(1):214.
25. Joshanloo M, Jovanović V. The relationship between gender and life satisfaction: Analysis across demographic groups and global regions. Archives of women's mental health. 2020;23(3):331-8.
26. Yu T, Enkh-Amgalan N, Zorigt G, Hsu Y-J, Chen H-J, Yang H-Y. Gender differences and burden of chronic conditions: impact on quality of life among the elderly in Taiwan. Aging clinical and experimental research. 2019;31(11):1625-33.
27. Lee KH, Xu H, Wu B. Gender differences in quality of life among community-dwelling older adults in low-and middle-income countries: results from the Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE). BMC public health. 2020;20(1):114.
28. Geigl C, Loss J, Leitzmann M, Janssen C. Social factors of health-related quality of life in older adults: a multivariable analysis. Quality of Life Research. 2023;32(11):3257-68.
29. Sugimoto H, Demura S, Nagasawa Y. Age and gender-related differences in physical functions of the elderly following one-year regular exercise therapy. Health. 2014;6(8):792.
30. Toro-Román V, Ferrer-Ramos P, Illera-Domínguez V, Pérez-Chirinos C, Fernández-Valdés B. Functionality, muscular strength and cardiorespiratory capacity in the elderly: relationships between functional and physical tests according to sex and age. Frontiers in Physiology. 2024;15:1347093.
31. Tangen GG, Robinson HS. Measuring physical performance in highly active older adults: associations with age and gender? Aging clinical and experimental research. 2020;32(2):229-37.
32. Beaudart C, Demonceau C, Reginster JY, Locquet M, Cesari M, Cruz Jentoft AJ, Bruyère O. Sarcopenia and health‐related quality of life: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle. 2023;14(3):1228-43.
33. Fábrega-Cuadros R, Hita-Contreras F, Martínez-Amat A, Jiménez-García JD, Achalandabaso-Ochoa A, Lavilla-Lerma L, et al. Associations between the severity of sarcopenia and health-related quality of life in community-dwelling middle-aged and older adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18(15):8026.
34. Hung W-S, Chen Y-J, Tsai T-S, Lee C-H, Fang J-T, Wen M-S, et al. Associations Between the Severity of Sarcopenia and Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2025;15(1):161.
35. Beaudart C, Reginster J-Y, Petermans J, Gillain S, Quabron A, Locquet M, et al. Quality of life and physical components linked to sarcopenia: the SarcoPhAge study. Experimental gerontology. 2015;69:103-10.
36. Bahat G, Kilic C, Eris S, Karan M. Power versus sarcopenia: associations with functionality and physical performance measures. The Journal of nutrition, health and aging. 2021;25(1):13-7.
37. Megasari IM, Mat S, Singh DKA, Tan MP. Prospective sarcopenia outcomes associated with physical performance in individuals aged 55 years and over in Malaysia. Frontiers in Public Health. 2023;11:1226642.
38. Yoo MC, Won CW, Soh Y. Association of high body mass index, waist circumference, and body fat percentage with sarcopenia in older women. BMC geriatrics. 2022;22(1):937.
39. Hwang J, Park S. Gender-specific risk factors and prevalence for sarcopenia among community-dwelling young-old adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022;19(12):7232.
40. Prokopidis K, Giannos P, Reginster JY, Bruyere O, Petrovic M, Cherubini A, et al. Sarcopenia is associated with a greater risk of polypharmacy and number of medications: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle. 2023;14(2):671-83.