Pilot study for the development of a screening questionnaire to detect sarcopenic obesity

Abstract

Caloric restriction-the most prevalent obesity treatment-has a 97% failure rate when spread over 5-7 years. Sarcopenic obesity is thought to be the consequence of chronic dieting and the cause of weight management problems. This pilot study's goal was to develop a screening questionnaire that detects sarcopenic obesity in young and middle-aged female adults. A total of 23 women (ages 19-59) completed a sarcopenic obesity questionnaire and were assessed for total body weight (TBWt), percent fat mass, and percent fat-free mass (%FFM) using the Bod Pod (air plethsmography), and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Appendicular skeletal mass (ASM) was calculated using BIA. Resting energy expenditure was determined using indirect calorimetry, and the basal metabolic rate (BMR) was calculated using BIA. The screening questionnaire score was negatively correlated with BMR (r2 = 0.885), %FFM (r2 = 0.86), ASM (r2 = 0.79) relative to TBWt and to ASM/BMI (r2 = 0.58). The screening questionnaire had an acceptable sensitivity (83%) and specificity (87%) in detecting sarcopenia measured using ASM/BMI. This pilot intimates that subjects who frequently dieted suffered from a disproportionally lower FFM and BMR relative to the TBWt. The questionnaire can help clinicians recognize the presence of sarcopenic obesity in patients.