Development and validation of a screening tool for sarcopenia in Chinese nursing home residents

Kaili Sun; Xucheng Wu; Jiening Yu; Weiran Chen; Xueqing Jia; Dongwen Li; Hao Lyu; Wenhai Huang; Hongqing Tian; Weijing Gao; Bin Zhu; Xinwei Lyu; Li Wang; Jing Shao; Xiaoting Liu; Zuyun Liu

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2024.111221

Development and validation of a screening tool for sarcopenia in Chinese nursing home residents

iScience. 2024 Oct 21;27(11):111221. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.111221. eCollection 2024 Nov 15.

Authors

Kaili Sun¹, Xucheng Wu¹, Jiening Yu¹, Weiran Chen¹, Xueqing Jia¹, Dongwen Li², Hao Lyu², Wenhai Huang³, Hongqing Tian³, Weijing Gao¹, Bin Zhu¹, Xinwei Lyu⁴, Li Wang^{5

6}, Jing Shao^{5

6}, Xiaoting Liu^{2

7}, Zuyun Liu¹

Affiliations

¹ The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Public Health, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, China.
² School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China.
³ Shenzhen Yolanda Technology Co, Ltd, Shenzhen 518000, China.
⁴ Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, London, UK.
⁵ Institute of Nursing Research, and Department of Nursing of the Fourth Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, Zhejiang, China.
⁶ International Institutes of Medicine, International School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310053, China.
⁷ Institute of Wenzhou, Zhejiang University, Wenzhou 325006, China.

Abstract

Sarcopenia, characterized by the loss of muscle mass and function, is a critical health issue in nursing home residents. Given the high prevalence of sarcopenia in care settings, effective screening is crucial. This study compared the diagnostic accuracy of two conventional sarcopenia screening tools, SARC-F and SARC-CalF, and developed an alternative tool, SEAC, specifically for nursing home residents. In a sample of 679 older adults from Zhejiang Province, SARC-CalF exhibited better sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy compared to SARC-F. The SEAC tool, incorporating strength, exhaustion, assistance in walking, and calf circumference, demonstrated the highest diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity among the three screening tools. These findings suggest that SEAC could serve as a valuable tool for large-scale sarcopenia screening in nursing homes, potentially improving early detection and management of sarcopenia in this vulnerable population.

Keywords: Diagnostic procedure; Measuring system; Public health.