Assessing nutritional status in older adults requiring long‐term care: Interchangeability of bioelectrical impedance analysis and manual methods for upper arm anthropometric measurements

Aim In older adults, arm circumference and arm muscle circumference are common nutritional assessment tools. Bioelectrical impedance analysis devices can automatically measure arm circumference and arm muscle circumference. However, the interchangeability of the measurements made by bioelectrical impedance analysis with the actual manual measurements has not been clarified. This study examined the interchangeability of these two measurements and their relationship with sarcopenia. Methods The interchangeability between bioelectrical impedance analysis and manual arm circumference and arm muscle circumference measurements was calculated using Bland–Altman analysis in 112 older adults certified to require long‐term care in the Japanese system. Furthermore, multivariate analysis was used to investigate the association between arm circumference and arm muscle circumference obtained using the bioelectrical impedance analysis method and sarcopenia. Results The bioelectrical impedance analysis and manual methods were interchangeable, with a percentage error of