Sarcopenia and frailty among older Chinese adults: Findings from the CHARLS study

by Weiwei Xu, Jiasheng Cai, Yichen Liu, Lian Li, Xiaomei Ye, Ping Wang, Jiaping Lu, Mohammed Ahmed Akkaif, Min Zhang

Sarcopenia and frailty are common among elderly individuals and present substantial health hazards. Exploring their relationship is essential for optimizing geriatric healthcare, particularly within the context of China.

A population-based cross-sectional design was employed using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The study enrolled 5,714 participants aged ≥60 years who underwent assessment for sarcopenia following the criteria established by the Asia Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS 2019) in 2019. Frailty status was determined using a frailty index that categorized participants into robustness, pre-frailty, and frailty stages. Multivariable logistic regression models were employed to examine the relationship between sarcopenia and frailty and pre-frailty conditions. Subgroup and interaction analyses were performed to explore the robustness of the associations between sarcopenia and frailty across different subgroups.

Among the participants, 1,028 (18.0%) were identified as frailty, 2,987 (52.3%) as pre-frailty, and 645 (11.3%) had sarcopenia. Sarcopenia demonstrated an independent association with higher risks of frailty (OR = 2.13, 95% CI: 1.52–2.99) and pre-frailty (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.20–1.81) in the multivariable logistic analysis. Subgroup and interaction analyses consistently demonstrated significant associations across nearly all demographic and health-related subgroups.

This study highlights that sarcopenia is significantly and independently associated with frailty and pre-frailty among older adults in China. Early detection and targeted interventions for sarcopenia are crucial to mitigate frailty and its adverse health outcomes in aging populations, emphasizing the need for tailored healthcare strategies to promote healthy aging.