EXPLORATION AND COMPARISON OF CUTPOINTS FOR SARCOPENIA SCREENING IN COMMUNITY OLDER PEOPLE: RESULTS OF THE PRO-EVA STUDY.
Sarcopenia, aged, Community-dwelling, predictions, Anthropometry
INTRODUCTION: Aging is a natural process that implies gradual and inevitable changes related to health. Studies indicate that one of the most important challenges arising from the aging process is managing to control the progressive decline of the musculoskeletal system, called sarcopenia. First described in 1989 by Rosenberg, the concept of sarcopenia is not established in the literature, therefore, in order to determine operational criteria, different study’s groups around the world came together to facilitate its identification and measurement, presenting methods and assessment tools that are valid for screening for sarcopenia. However, taking into account the difficulties encountered in Primary Health Care (PHC), the use of easier, simpler and cheaper alternatives is indicated, and an example of this is the use of prediction equations based on anthropometric measurements. Despite being a method that has been gaining ground in epidemiological research, there are still few studies that aim to validate and/or develop these equations in the Brazilian population, so it is evident the need to carry out a cross-validation of the prediction equations in community-dwelling older people living in Brazilian northeast. OBJECTIVE: To verify the cross-validity of SMM prediction equations in an Community-dwelling older people, using bioelectrical impedance (BIA) as a comparative method. METHODS: A methodological study, comprising 682 older people aged ≥ 60 years, of both gender, living in the city of Parnamirim. Data were collected through a standardized protocol containing questions about sociodemographic variables and lifestyle habits (present in the Caderneta de Saúde da Pessoa Idosa - CSPI). For the variables used in the 5 anthropometric equations analyzed, weight, height, calf circumference and hand grip strength were evaluated, and for the evaluation of the SMM, the BIA was used, which was considered in this study as a comparator criterion. As for the data analysis, the paired t-student test and Pearson's correlation were performed to compare the means and the relationship between the variables and verify the cross-validity between the measures. In order to verify the validity of the prediction equations, a linear regression was performed, and the assumptions of Lohman (1992) were followed to confirm this validity. Finally, the Bland & Altman method was used to verify the agreement between the assessment methods. RESULTS: The sample consisted of older people with a mean age of 70.06 (±7,06) years and mostly women (60.7%). When comparing the criterion measure and the anthropometric equations, it was seen that the Baumgartner Equation presented a greater mean and a greater difference (-6.06kg). As for the cross-validity analysis, only the Visvanhatan Equation 02 met the validity criteria proposed by Lohman (p-value > 0.05, estimated standard error = 0.602 and R²= 0.74), in addition to presenting a lower bias (0.04) and a smaller interval between the limits of agreement when compared to BIA. EXPECTED RESULTS: Based on the preliminary results, it was observed that the use of simpler equations is valid for use in community-dwelling older people, proving to be reliable for use within the daily assessment of the elderly person, thus helping to identify them early. of such a significant decline, minimizing the adverse effects in later years of the life of this population group.