The Use of Practical Measures to Determine Body Composition of Older People

BACKGROUND: Older adults frequently experience body composition changes—decreased lean body mass (LBM) and bone mineral content (BMC), along with increased body fat mass (FM)—which affect their health and independence. However, the need for standard complex and costly imaging modalities could delay the detection of these changes and retard treatment effectiveness. Thus, this study explored the ability of practical measures, including simple muscle strength tests and demographic data, to determine the body composition of older adults. METHODS: Participants (n = 111, with an average age of 77 years old) were cross-sectionally assessed for the outcomes of the study, including upper limb loading during a seated push-up test (ULL-SPUT), hand grip (HG) strength test and body composition. RESULTS: The ULL-SPUT significantly correlated with body composition (r or r(s), = 0.370–0.781; P < 0.05), particularly for female participants and was higher than that found for the HG strength test (r(s) = 0.340–0.614; P < 0.05). The ULL-SPUT and HG strength test, along with gender and body mass index (BMI), could accurately determine the LBM and BMC of the participants up to 82%. CONCLUSION: The ULL-SPUT along with gender and BMI can be used as a practical strategy to detect the LBM and BMC of older adults in various settings. Such a strategy would facilitate timely managements (i.e. standard confirmation or appropriate interventions) in various settings.