Prevalence and Risk Factors of Self-Reported Sarcopenia and Its Association With Multimorbidity in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the impact of multimorbidity on self-reported sarcopenia and compare the differences in the prevalence and associated factors of sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults with and without multimorbidity. We enrolled 876 community-dwelling older adults in South Korea. Multimorbidity was defined as the coexistence of two or more chronic diseases, and sarcopenia was evaluated using the Strength, Assistance in walking, Rising from a chair, Climbing stairs, and Falling Questionnaire. Binomial logistic regression analyses were performed. Our study revealed that the prevalence of sarcopenia was significantly higher (43.5%) in older adults with multimorbidity than in those without multimorbidity (20.8%). This finding underscores the significant impact of multimorbidity on sarcopenia. We also found that poor perceived health status was the strongest predictor of sarcopenia in older adults with multimorbidity, while oldest-old age (≥ 85 years) was the strongest predictor of sarcopenia in those without multimorbidity. Large prospective cohort studies using objective sarcopenia screening tools are needed to demonstrate the synergistic effects of multimorbidity and sarcopenia on health outcomes among community-dwelling older adults.