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Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Riyadh between February and May 2024. Sarcopenia was diagnosed using the Asian Working Group on Sarcopenia (AWGS) criteria, which include muscle mass, grip strength, and gait speed. Polypharmacy was defined as taking 5 medications or more. Depressive symptoms were examined using the Arabic version of the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 with a cutoff score of >5. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess the possible risk factors for sarcopenia. Results: A total of 182 participants were enrolled and analyzed in the current study. Approximately 11% (n = 20) of participants were identified as having sarcopenia based on the AWGS criteria. Individuals with sarcopenia were older, with a mean age of 68.6 years, and a higher percentage were female (75.0% vs. 41.4% in the non-sarcopenia group; p = 0.004). Compared with the non-sarcopenia group, the sarcopenia group showed a higher prevalence of polypharmacy (≥5 medications) (55% vs. 16%; p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (55% vs. 13.6%; p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study identified an increased prevalence of sarcopenia among the geriatric population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using the AWGS criteria. The associated risk factors for sarcopenia included older age, polypharmacy, and depressive symptoms. These associations underscore the complex systemic interplay between physical health, mental well-being, and therapeutic management in geriatric care. Routine assessment for sarcopenia should be implemented into primary healthcare protocols for the older population, along with medication review and depressive symptom screening.
Alqahtani et al. (Fri,) studied this question.