Wc. Chumlea et al., TECHNIQUES OF ASSESSING MUSCLE MASS AND FUNCTION (SARCOPENIA) FOR EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES OF THE ELDERLY, The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 50, 1995, pp. 45-51
For epidemiological studies, reliable and valid measurements or indice
s of muscle mass are needed to screen for those elderly persons at ris
k for sarcopenia, and to determine the prevalence of these conditions
on a national level. The methods more suitable for field or epidemiolo
gical settings are anthropometry, bioelectrical impedance, and grip st
rength. These field methods, while reliable, have limited demonstrated
validity in their application to the elderly and are restricted by th
e limited functional capabilities of the elderly, which decrease with
age. Epidemiological studies of the elderly need to include sufficient
numbers of persons of different ethnic backgrounds, and at the older
ages. For an epidemiological study of tire elderly today, one also nee
ds to select the categories of elderly persons to be included in such
studies: healthy, sick, very old, handicapped, level of functional sta
tus, etc., because relationships among variables can have different st
atistical and biological associations. Future work should be directed
at improving the design and methodology of epidemiological and serial
studies so as to maximize the numbers and categories of elderly person
s who can be studied.