Ethnic Groups Differences in the Prevalence of Sarcopenia Using the AWGS Criteria

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of sarcopenia in different ethnic groups and the association with cultural life styles in west China.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Settings: The communities in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Xinjiang provinces.

Participants: 4500 participants aged 50 years or older in west China were enrolled in this study. Sarcopenia was defined according to the diagnostic algorithm of the Asia Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS).

Measurements: We measured gait speed, handgrip strength and muscle mass by using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) for all eligible participants. Life-style information were collected by reviewers. Relationships between sarcopenia and ethnic groups were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results: We found 869 (19.31%) adults aged 50 years old or older were sarcopenia. The mean age is 62.4±8.3 years. The main ethnic groups enrolled in this study is Han, Tibetan, Qiang, Yi and Hui. The crude prevalence of sarcopenia is 22.3% in Han, 18.2% in Tibetan, 11.8% in Qiang, 34.7% in Yi and 26.7% in Hui. Compared to Han, after adjusting sex and age, Qiang has a lower prevalence of sarcopenia (odds ratio [OR]: 0.44, 95% CI 0.35-0.55), Yi has a higher prevalence of sarcopenia (OR: 1.78, 95% CI 1.29-2.43). While adding adjusting other potential cofounders, sarcopenia is still less prevalent in Qiang (OR: 0.44, 95% CI 0.34-0.57).

Conclusions: The crude prevalence of sarcopenia is 22.3% in Han, 18.2% in Tibetan, 11.8% in Qiang, 34.7% in Yi and 26.7% in Hui. Sarcopenia was less prevalent in Qiang compared with Han. Further studies to determine related factors of sarcopenia among different ethnic groups are recommended.