Reliability and Validity of SARC-F Questionnaire to Assess Sarcopenia Among Vietnamese Geriatric Patients.
The SARC-F questionnaire has been developed as a rapid diagnostic test that can be used to screen for sarcopenia.
To investigate the reliability and validity of the Vietnamese version of SARC-F as a screening tool for sarcopenia in older patients in Vietnam.
A cross-sectional study was conducted in older people attending the outpatient clinics of the National Geriatric Hospital in Vietnam. Muscle mass (using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), handgrip strength and gait speed were assessed. SARC-F was validated against the three standard criteria for sarcopenia: the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), Asia Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS 2019) and European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2).
There were 764 participants (mean age 71.5 ± 8.9 years). The Vietnamese SARC-F questionnaire had a good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.85). The prevalence of sarcopenia was 49.2% according to SARC-F and 48.3%, 61.1% and 52.6% according to FNIH, AWGS 2019 and EWGSOP2, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of SARC-F in identifying sarcopenia were 67.1% and 66.7% (for FINH), 66.7% and 67.1% (for AWGS 2019), and 64.9% and 68.2% (for EWGSOP2). The AUCs of SARC-F were 0.71-0.72 against the three sarcopenia criteria.
The Vietnamese version of SARC-F questionnaire has acceptable diagnostic value for sarcopenia. SARC-F could be used as an initial screening for sarcopenia in hospital clinics.
Nguyen TN
,Nguyen AT
,Khuong LQ
,Nguyen TX
,Nguyen HTT
,Nguyen TTH
,Hoang MV
,Pham T
,Nguyen TN
,Vu HTT
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《Clinical Interventions in Aging》
SARC-F Is Inaccurate to Identify Geriatric Rehabilitation Inpatients at Risk for Sarcopenia: RESORT.
Sarcopenia is highly prevalent in geriatric rehabilitation inpatients; screening using the Strength, Assistance in walking, Rise from a chair, Climb stairs, Falls history questionnaire (SARC-F) has been recommended. This study assessed the diagnostic accuracy of the SARC-F in identifying sarcopenia according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP), EWGSOP2, and Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) definitions in geriatric rehabilitation inpatients.
REStOring health of acutely unwell adulTs (RESORT) is an observational, longitudinal cohort of geriatric rehabilitation inpatients. The SARC-F was completed for 2 time-points, status at preadmission (1 month before admission) and at admission; a score ≥4 was considered at risk for sarcopenia. Muscle mass (bioelectrical impedance analysis), handgrip strength (handheld dynamometry), and gait speed (4-m walk test) were measured at admission. Diagnostic accuracy was determined by sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve (AUC).
The sarcopenia prevalence (n = 290, median age 84.0 years [IQR 79.0-89.0], 56.9% female) was 40.3% (EWGSOP1), 25.4% (EWGSOP2), and 38.8% (AWGS). For preadmission and admission status, respectively, the SARC-F identified 67.9 and 82.1% (EWGSOP), 66.0 and 81.0% (EWGSOP2), and 67.5 and 81.6% (AWGS) inpatients at risk for sarcopenia. The SARC-F showed fair sensitivity (67-74%), poor specificity (32-37%), and poor AUC (0.411-0.474) to identify inpatients at risk for sarcopenia at preadmission status, and fair-good sensitivity (79-84%), poor specificity (17-20%), and poor AUC (0.401-0.432) to identify inpatients at risk for sarcopenia at admission, according to EWGSOP, EWGSOP2, and AWGS definitions.
The SARC-F showed poor diagnostic accuracy in identifying sarcopenia in geriatric rehabilitation inpatients. Assessment of sarcopenia is recommended without screening.
Dedeyne L
,Reijnierse EM
,Pacifico J
,Kay JE
,Maggs P
,Verschueren S
,Tournoy J
,Gielen E
,Lim WK
,Maier AB
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Reliability and Concurrent Validity of the SARC-F and Its Modified Versions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Sarcopenia, being prevalent in up to 40% of older adults, is associated with adverse health outcomes. The international sarcopenia guidelines recommend screening for sarcopenia using the SARC-F. A previous meta-analysis (2017) reported poor validity of the SARC-F among community-dwelling older adults. Since then, modified SARC-F versions were developed and new sarcopenia definitions were published, including the SARC-F for case-finding. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the reliability of the SARC-F and its concurrent validity to identify sarcopenia.
Systematic review and meta-analyses.
Adults (all ages) from any study population.
A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, and CINAHL (January 1, 2013, to April 6, 2020). Articles were included if they reported on the reliability and/or concurrent validity of the (modified) SARC-F. No restrictions were applied for sex, age, study population, or sarcopenia definition. Reliability measures included inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency. Meta-analyses were performed for concurrent validity.
The 29 included articles included 21,855 individuals (mean age of 63.3±14.6 years, 61.3% females) among community-dwelling (n = 16), geriatric inpatient (n = 5), geriatric outpatient (n = 2), nursing home (n = 2), and long-term care (n = 1) populations. The SARC-F had good (2/4 articles) to excellent (2/4 articles) inter-rater reliability, moderate (1/6 articles) to good (5/6 articles) test-retest reliability, and low (4/8 articles) to high (4/8 articles) internal consistency. The SARC-F had low to moderate sensitivity (28.9%-55.3%) and moderate to high specificity (68.9%-88.9%) according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP; n = 13), revised EWGSOP definition (EWGSOP2; n = 6), Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS; n = 13), Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH; n = 8), International Working Group on Sarcopenia (IWGS; n = 9), and Society on Sarcopenia, Cachexia and Wasting Disorders (n = 2). The SARC-CalF had low to moderate sensitivity (45.9%-57.2%) and high specificity (87.7%-91.3%) according to the EWGSOP (n = 5), AWGS (n = 4), FNIH (n = 3), and IWGS (n = 3).
Despite the good reliability of the SARC-F, its low to moderate sensitivity and moderate to high specificity make it nonoptimal to use for sarcopenia screening. It is recommended to apply the diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia without screening.
Voelker SN
,Michalopoulos N
,Maier AB
,Reijnierse EM
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