Abstract
This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with dynapenia in a nationally representative sample of Brazilians aged 50 years and older. A cross-sectional study was performed with baseline data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSI-Brazil). Dynapenia was defined as low muscle strength (< 27kg for men and < 16kg for women). Explanatory variables were sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions, health behaviors and physical performance. Analyses were based on multivariate logistic regression and population attributable fractions. Among the 8,396 participants, the prevalence of dynapenia was 17.2% (16.6% among men and 17.7% among women); for those aged 65 years and older, the prevalence was 28.2% (29.1% and 27.5% among men and women, respectively). Dynapenia was positively associated with age, low gait speed, limitations in performing two or more basic daily activities, falls and self-reported chronic diseases; and negatively associated with education level, physical activity and body mass index (overweight/obese, OR = 0.26). Prevalence of dynapenia is high in Brazilian older adults. Educational skills and physical activity improvement present greater potential to reduce dynapenia in this population.
Highlights
Aging is a multifactorial process that causes muscle weakness due to several biological and contextual changes [1,2]
According to bivariate analysis (Table 1), dynapenia was associated with the majority of independent variables
All variables related to general health conditions were significantly associated to dynapenia
Summary
Aging is a multifactorial process that causes muscle weakness due to several biological and contextual changes [1,2]. Dynapenia is the age-related loss of muscle strength 3. Previous studies reported that dynapenia is only partially explained by muscle mass reduction and that other physiologic factors explain muscle weakness in older adults [9,10,11]. Loss of muscle strength is more related to impairments in neural (central) activation and/or reductions in skeletal muscle intrinsic force-generating capacity [12,13]. The maintenance of muscle strength while aging has high clinical significance 14 because dynapenia is associated with disability [10,15] and chronic diseases 16, independent of muscle mass
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
