Sarcopenia is a debilitating condition affecting millions of individuals worldwide and is defined with different criteria. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia in older Canadians using three internationally accepted criteria.

Observational cohort study.

Data from 12,592 subjects [6,314 males (50.1%), 6,278 females (49.9%)] ≥65 years old in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging were included. Measurements: Appendicular lean mass (ALM; kg) and appendicular lean mass index (ALM kg/height in m²) were collected from dual X-ray absorptiometry measurements. Physical performance was assessed using the 4-m gait speed test, and muscle strength was measured by hand dynamometry. Sarcopenia was defined according to criteria put forth by the International Working Group on Sarcopenia (IWGS), Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) Sarcopenia Project, and revised European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP). Positive and negative percent agreements and Cohen's kappa (κ) described the agreement among sarcopenia definitions.

Among the evaluated criteria, gait speed ≤ 1.0 m/s (IWGS definition of slowness) was the most frequently identified deficit (56.8% males, 57.2% females). The prevalence of sarcopenia ranged from 1.4 to 5.2% in males and 1.6 to 7.2 % in females among the different definitions. Positive percent agreement values among criteria were generally low (range: 1.5–55.3%) and corresponded to κ indicating none to minimal agreement (0.01–0.23). Negative percent agreement values were ≥ 95%.

Sarcopenia prevalence was relatively low in older Canadian adults and current definitions had poor agreement in diagnosing individuals as sarcopenic.