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Table 1 Effects of socio-demographic factors, health behavior, chronic disease, and muscle mass on physical performance

From: Combined association of chronic disease and low skeletal muscle mass with physical performance in older adults in the Sarcopenia and Translational Aging Research in Taiwan (START) study

 

Grip strength

 

Gait speed

 

TUG test performance

 
 

Normal

Low

 

Normal

Low

 

Normal

Low

 

Variables

n (%)

n (%)

p-value

n (%)

n (%)

p-value

n (%)

n (%)

p-value

Socio-demographic variables

Age (years)

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

65-69

602 (30.54)

61 (14.91)

 

611 (31.58)

51 (11.78)

 

553 (35.96)

34 (8.92)

 

70-74

609 (30.90)

80 (19.56)

 

599 (30.96)

89 (20.55)

 

467 (30.36)

81 (21.26)

 

75-79

435 (22.07)

100 (24.45)

 

427 (22.07)

106 (24.48)

 

301 (19.57)

100 (26.25)

 

≥80

325 (16.49)

168 (41.08)

 

298 (15.40)

187 (43.19)

 

217 (14.11)

166 (43.57)

 

Gender

  

<0.001

  

0.579

  

0.959

Woman

964 (48.91)

236 (57.70)

 

968 (50.03)

223 (51.50)

 

793 (51.56)

197 (51.71)

 

Man

1007 (51.09)

173 (42.30)

 

967 (49.97)

210 (48.50)

 

745 (48.44)

184 (48.29)

 

Education years

  

0.003

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

≤6

998 (51.23)

241 (59.21)

 

969 (50.55)

263 (61.74)

 

619 (40.62)

213 (57.10)

 

>6

950 (48.77)

166 (40.79)

 

948 (49.45)

163 (38.26)

 

905 (59.38)

160 (42.90)

 

Marital status

  

0.927

  

0.002

  

0.7480

Married

1718 (96.35)

282 (96.25)

 

1634 (96.97)

359 (93.73)

 

1250 (95.64)

299 (95.22)

 

Unmarried

65 (3.65)

11 (3.75)

 

51 (3.03)

24 (6.27)

 

57 (4.36)

15 (4.78)

 

BMI (kg/m2)

  

0.737

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

<18.5

66 (3.35)

15 (3.67)

 

57 (2.95)

24 (5.54)

 

42 (2.73)

17 (4.46)

 

18.5-24

828 (42.01)

162 (39.61)

 

832 (43.00)

155 (35.80)

 

665 (43.24)

141 (37.01)

 

24-27

633 (32.12)

131 (32.03)

 

630 (32.56)

126 (29.10)

 

506 (32.90)

105 (27.56)

 

≥27

444 (22.53)

101 (24.69)

 

416 (21.50)

128 (29.56)

 

325 (21.13)

118 (30.97)

 

Health behavior

         

Smoking

  

0.150

  

0.641

  

0.723

No

1820 (92.34)

386 (94.38)

 

1793 (92.66)

404 (93.30)

 

1429 (92.91)

352 (92.39)

 

Yes

151 (7.66)

23 (5.62)

 

142 (7.34)

29 (6.70)

 

109 (7.09)

29 (7.61)

 

Alcohol drink

  

0.001

  

0.010

  

0.016

No

1610 (81.68)

361 (88.26)

 

1583 (81.81)

377 (87.07)

 

1224 (79.58)

324 (85.04)

 

Yes

361 (18.32)

48 (11.74)

 

352 (18.19)

56 (12.93)

 

314 (20.42)

57 (14.96)

 

Physical activity a

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

Low

560 (29.61)

190 (48.10)

 

541 (29.01)

195 (47.68)

 

404 (27.54)

186 (51.24)

 

Normal

627 (33.16)

127 (32.15)

 

621 (33.30)

135 (33.01)

 

504 (34.36)

106 (29.20)

 

High

704 (37.23)

78 (19.75)

 

703 (37.69)

79 (19.32)

 

559 (38.10)

71 (19.56)

 

Chronic disease

         

Diabetes

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

No

1590 (80.67)

287 (70.17)

 

1563 (80.78)

310 (71.59)

 

1232 (80.10)

266 (69.82)

 

Yes

381 (19.33)

122 (29.83)

 

372 (19.22)

123 (28.41)

 

306 (19.90)

115 (30.18)

 

Hypertension

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

No

910 (46.17)

125 (30.56)

 

886 (45.79)

147 (33.95)

 

693 (45.06)

110 (28.87)

 

Yes

1061 (53.83)

284 (69.44)

 

1049 (54.21)

286 (66.05)

 

845 (54.94)

271 (71.13)

 

Heart disease

  

0.260

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

No

1604 (81.38)

323 (78.97)

 

1599 (82.64)

318 (73.44)

 

1246 (81.01)

275 (72.18)

 

Yes

367 (18.62)

86 (21.03)

 

336 (17.36)

115 (26.56)

 

292 (18.99)

106 (27.82)

 

COPD

  

0.225

  

0.706

  

0.294

No

1916 (97.21)

393 (96.09)

 

1879 (97.11)

419 (96.77)

 

1490 (96.88)

365 (95.80)

 

Yes

55 (2.79)

16 (3.91)

 

56 (2.89)

14 (3.23)

 

48 (3.12)

16 (4.20)

 

CKD

  

0.010

  

0.519

  

0.729

No

1836 (93.15)

366 (89.49)

 

1788 (92.40)

404 (93.30)

 

1421 (92.39)

350 (91.86)

 

Yes

135 (6.85)

43 (10.51)

 

147 (7.60)

29 (6.70)

 

117 (7.61)

31 (8.14)

 

Arthritis

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

  

<0.001

No

1528 (77.52)

259 (63.33)

 

1484 (76.69)

295 (68.13)

 

1166 (75.81)

251 (65.88)

 

Yes

443 (22.48)

150 (36.67)

 

451 (23.31)

138 (31.87)

 

372 (24.19)

130 (34.12)

 

Osteoporosis

  

0.212

  

<0.001

  

0.001

No

1618 (82.09)

325 (79.46)

 

1611 (83.26)

321 (74.13)

 

1264 (82.18)

283 (74.28)

 

Yes

353 (17.91)

84 (20.54)

 

324 (16.74)

112 (25.87)

 

274 (17.82)

98 (25.72)

 

Muscle mass

         

Low ASMI

  

0.009

  

<0.001

  

0.005

No

1601 (81.23)

309 (75.55)

 

1588 (82.07)

311 (71.82)

 

1207 (78.48)

273 (71.65)

 

Yes

370 (18.77)

100 (24.45)

 

347 (17.93)

122 (28.18)

 

331 (21.52)

108 (28.35)

 
  1. Abbreviations: TUG, Timed Up and Go; BMI, body mass index; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; CKD: chronic kidney disease; ASMI: Appendicular Skeletal Muscle Mass Index.
  2. aPhysical activity categorized according to sex-specific tertiles of physical activity.