Is waist circumference associated with fear of falling in community-dwelling older adults? A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Fear of falling (FOF) is a prevalent condition among older adults and several variables have been pointed out as risk factors. OBJECTIVES: To identify the cut-off point on waist circumference (WC), capable of discriminating between older adults with and without FOF, and to test the association between WC and FOF. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out with older adults of both sexes from Balneário Arroio do Silva, Brazil. We used Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves to determine the cut-off point on WC and logistic regression adjusted for potential confounding variables to test the association. RESULTS: Older women with WC >93.5 cm [area under the curve: 0.61 (95%CI 0.53; 0.68)] had 3.30 (95%CI 1.53; 7.14) greater chances of having FOF compared with older women with WC ≤93.5 cm. WC was not able to discriminate FOF in older men. CONCLUSION: WC values >93.5 cm are associated with higher chances of FOF in older women.

How much time in sedentary behavior is associated with probable sarcopenia in older adults?

Sedentary activities, such as watching television and using the computer, are frequent conditions in older adults and can be associated with sarcopenia. The objectives of this study were: (a) to establish sedentary behavior (SB) cutoff values for screening probable sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults and (b) to verify the association between SB and probable sarcopenia according to the established cutoff point. This was a cross-sectional study including 1,165 community residents in Florianopolis/SC. SB was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The outcome was probable sarcopenia (assessed by time ≥ 15 s in the Five times sit-to-stand test). The cut-off points found for SB were time > 120 min/day [AUC: 0.54 (95%CI: 0.51; 0.57)] watching TV or video/DVD and ≤ 20 min/day [AUC: 0.59 (95%CI: 0.56;0.62)] using computer/internet. Older adults with SB had 1.30 (95% CI: 1.01; 1.66) and 1.46 (95% CI: 1.08; 1.96) greater chances of having sarcopenia, respectively.

Association Between Fear of Falling and Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Fear of falling (FoF) and frailty are common problems in older adults. FoF can lead to self-imposed restriction of activities and then further decline in physical capacities that predispose older adults to frailty. Evaluating the association of these two geriatric syndromes may be the first step for understanding their complex relationship and might ultimately lead to establishing therapeutic goals and guiding treatments for older adults with frailty. This systematic review was conducted to provide evidence regarding the association between FoF and frailty. METHODS: All the articles that provided information on the association between FoF and frailty were selected from PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and EMBASE in search of relevant papers. Articles reporting information on the association between FoF (exposure) and frailty (outcome), with older adults (age ≥60 years) living in the community (ie, living either at home or in places of residence that do not provide nursing care or rehabilitation) were included. Only original articles with observational design (cross-sectional or longitudinal/cohort) were included. The methodological quality of included articles was evaluated independently by the two assessors through the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal checklist for longitudinal and cross-sectional studies, respectively. RESULTS: The initial searches found 4,342 articles, of which 10 articles were included in this review: 7 cross-sectional and 2 longitudinal studies, and 1 study with cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. The total sample was composed of 6,294 community-dwelling older adults (61.8% women). Among the longitudinal studies, adjusted odds ratios ranged from 1.18 (95% CI = 1.02; 1.36) to 9.87 (95% CI = 5.22; 18.68), while the adjusted odds ratios of the cross-sectional studies ranged from 1.04 (95% CI = 1.02; 1.07) to 7.16 (95% CI = 2.34; 21.89). CONCLUSION: FoF increases the risk of frailty in community-dwelling older adults. The knowledge of this association is of utmost importance in clinical practice, since it can help health professionals in the development of rehabilitation, prevention, and health promotion protocols. In addition, these findings can contribute to the development of public health policies and actions aimed at reducing the FoF and consequently the frailty. PROSPERO: CRD42021276775.

Cognitive and behavioral factors associated to probable sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia has a high prevalence in older adults and is associated with chronic aggravations to health, so therefore it is important to identify older adults who are affected by sarcopenia in order to establish preventative strategies or early interventions. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of probable sarcopenia and verify its association with cognitive impairment, fear of falling, depressive symptoms and health self-perception in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with simple random sampling including 306 older adults of both genders. The outcome variable was probable sarcopenia evaluated by the Five times sit-to-stand test (5XSST) considering probable sarcopenia when the measured time was > 15 seconds, following the recommendation of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. The predictor variables were cognitive impairment, fear of falling, depressive symptoms and self-perception of health. Multivariate Logistic Regression was performed to verify associations between the variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of probable sarcopenia was 50.00%. The older adults had significantly higher chances of presenting probable sarcopenia when displaying cognitive impairment (OR 2.49; 95%CI 1.46-4.24), fear of falls (OR 4.23; 95%CI 2.51-7.12), depressive symptoms (OR 2.20; 95%CI 1.32-3.67), poor (OR 2.48; 95%CI 1.19-5.16) and fair self-perception of health (OR 2.11; 95%CI 1.22-3.63) when compared to those who did not have the same conditions. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of probable sarcopenia in this study was 50.00%, and was associated with the presence of depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, fear of falls and negative self-perception of health.