Table 2.
Characteristics of the participants according to presence or absence of Sarcopenia: Mean ± standard deviation or number of cases (percentages).
| Variables | Not sarcopenic (n=181) | Sarcopenic (n=86) | X2 or t-test | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Age (years) | 73.8 ± 7.5 | 83.7 ± 8.0 | −9.6 | <0.001 |
| Women (%) | 124 (62.9) | 73 (37.1) | 8.1 | 0.004 |
| Men (%) | 57 (81.4) | 13 (18.6) | ||
| Social characteristics | ||||
| Education level | ||||
| Not completed secondary school | 78 (43.1) | 70 (81.4) | 35.5 | <0.001 |
| Completed secondary school | 47 (26.0) | 10 (11.6) | ||
| Completed tertiary education | 56 (30.9) | 6 (7.0) | ||
| Marital status | ||||
| Non-married | 39 (21.6) | 16 (18.6) | 29.5 | <0.001 |
| Married | 86 (47.6) | 15 (17.4) | ||
| Widowed | 56 (30.9) | 55 (64.0) | ||
| Environmental characteristics | ||||
| Cohabitation | ||||
| Alone or caregiver | 34 (18.8) | 4 (4.7) | 77.2 | <0.001 |
| Family | 91 (50.3) | 6 (7.0) | ||
| Institution | 56 (30.9) | 76 (88.4) | ||
| Place of aging | ||||
| Community-dwelling | 125 (69.1) | 10 (11.6) | 76.9 | <0.001 |
| Institution | 56 (30.9) | 76 (88.4) | ||
| Economic characteristics | ||||
| Occupation | ||||
| HSWC | 64 (35.6) | 7 (8.2) | 26.9 | <0.001 |
| LSWC | 34 (18.9) | 14 (16.5) | ||
| BC | 62 (34.4) | 43 (50.6) | ||
| Housewife | 20 (11.1) | 21 (24.7) | ||
| Perceived economic situation | ||||
| Relieved | 113 (62.4) | 21 (24.4) | 33.7 | <0.001 |
| Meets BN | 60 (33.2) | 57 (66.3) | ||
| Finds it hard to meet BN | 8 (4.4) | 8 (9.3) | ||
| Psychological characteristics | ||||
| Cognitive status | 30.7 ± 3.8 | 25.6 ± 5.9 | 7.1 | <0.001 |
| SF-8 (0–40 score) | 33.2 ± 5.6 | 29.9 ± 7.2 | 3.7 | <0.001 |
| Sleeping problems (yes) | 105 (58) | 62 (72.1) | 4.9 | 0.026 |
| CESD-7 (0–21 score) | 4.5 ± 5.1 | 7.1 ± 5.8 | −3.5 | <0.001 |
| Depressive symptoms (yes) | 31 (17.1) | 34 (39.5) | 16.4 | <0.001 |
| Fear of falling (yes) | 58 (32.4) | 51 (60.0) | 18.1 | <0.001 |
| Nutritional status | ||||
| MNA-SF (0–14 score) | 12.7 ± 1.7 | 11.5 ± 1.7 | 5.4 | <0.001 |
| Risk of malnutrition | ||||
| Normal (12–14) | 146 (81.6) | 47 (55.3) | 20.7 | <0.001 |
| In risk (8–11) | 30 (16.8) | 36 (42.4) | ||
| Malnutrition (0–7) | 3 (1.6) | 2 (2.3) | ||
Chi-squared, Student-t or Welch-t test. Abbreviations: HSWC=high-skilled white-collar; LSWC=low-skilled white-collar; BC=blue-collar; BN=basic needs; SF-8=the short-form-8 health-related quality of life; CESD-7=depression scale of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies; MNA-SF=mini-malnutrition assessment short-form.