Car Driving Status and Living Arrangement Associated with Sarcopenia among Rural Japanese Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ensuring mobility after driving cessation is an important public health issue to prevent functional limitations, but this issue is still not fully understood in rural settings. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that being a non-driver and living alone is associated with a greater risk of sarcopenia among the community-dwelling elderly in rural Japanese areas. This study was conducted in 2018 and data from 738 participants were used. Sarcopenia was assessed by measuring walking speed, handgrip strength, and skeletal muscle mass. Car driving status and living arrangement were collected using self-reported questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Four groups were set to determine combined conditions of car driving status and living arrangement. Logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and a 95% confidence interval of sarcopenia after adjustment for confounding factors. Compared with the reference group (driver and living with others), the OR of sarcopenia was significantly higher in the non-driver and living alone group (OR = 2.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–4.80). Our findings suggest that the consideration of both driving status and living arrangement are important in the formulation of public health strategies to prevent sarcopenia in rural Japanese areas.