Table 1 Baseline characteristic of sarcopenia group and severe sarcopenia group

Age (years), median (IQR)

70 (66–75)

69 (65–74)

73 (68–79)

< 0.001

75 (71–80.5)

< 0.001

Female, n(%)

614 (68.8)

483 (69.6)

131 (66.2)

0.35

52 (61.9)

0.15

Education

0.65

0.72

 No education/Primary school

574 (64.4)

433 (62.4)

141 (71.2)

57 (67.9)

 Secondary school/diploma

274 (30.7)

224 (32.3)

50 (25.3)

24 (28.6)

 Bachelor degree or higher

44 (4.9)

37 (5.3)

7 (3.5)

3 (3.6)

Body mass index (BMI), median (IQR)

24.4 (21.9–27.6)

25.5 (23.4–28.6)

20.9 (19.3–22.6)

< 0.001

20.7 (19.1–22.6)

< 0.001

BMI group, n(%)

< 0.001

< 0.001

 < 18.5

48 (5.4)

14 (2)

34 (17.2)

18 (21.4)

 18.5–22.9

262 (29.4)

133 (19.2)

129 (65.2)

52 (61.9)

 23–24.9

187 (21)

158 (22.8)

29 (14.7)

12 (14.3)

 ≥ 25

395 (44.3)

389 (56.1)

6 (3)

2 (2.4)

6-CIT score group, n(%)

0.002

0.21

 ≤ 7

529 (59.3)

433 (62.4)

96 (48.5)

43 (51.2)

 8–9

248 (27.8)

179 (25.8)

69 (34.9)

30 (35.7)

 ≥ 10

115 (12.9)

82 (11.8)

33 (16.7)

11 (13.1)

Activities of Daily Living score < 90

277 (31.1)

209 (30.1)

68 (34.3)

0.26

30 (35.7)

0.33

Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score ≥ 3, n(%)

596 (66.8)

447 (64.4)

149 (75.3)

0.004

72 (85.7)

< 0.001

Frailty phenotype score ≥ 3, n(%)

270 (30.3)

202 (29.1)

68 (34.3)

0.16

34 (40.5)

0.03

Sensory impairment

39 (4.4)

28 (4)

11 (5.6)

0.07

8 (9.5)

0.02

History of falls in the past 1 year

249 (27.9)

197 (27.7)

57 (28.8)

0.76

29 (34.5)

0.16

Had difficulty to exercise

70 (7.9)

56 (7.6)

17 (8.6)

0.66

8 (9.5)

0.55

The daily amount of hours of sitting time (hour/day)

0.03

0.03

 < 4

646 (72.4)

514 (74.1)

132 (66.7)

56 (66.7)

 4- < 6

150 (16.8)

114 (16.4)

36 (18.2)

13 (15.5)

 ≥ 6

96 (10.8)

66 (10.5)

30(15.1)

15 (17.8)

Avarage weekly exercise (day/week)

0.23

0.99

 No

167 (18.7)

124 (17.9)

43 (21.7)

16 (19.1)

 1–3

162 (18.2)

133 (19.2)

29 (14.7)

15 (17.9)

 4–7

563 (63.1)

437 (63)

126 (63.6)

53 (63.1)

MNA score

< 0.001

< 0.001

 24–30

544 (61)

457 (65.9)

87 (43.9)

32 (38.1)

 17–23.5

333 (37.3)

231 (33.3)

102 (51.5)

49 (58.3)

 < 17

15 (1.7)

6 (0.9)

9 (4.6)

3 (3.6)

MNA score < 24

348 (39)

237 (34.2)

111 (56.1)

< 0.001

52 (61.9)

< 0.001

Berg Balance Scale (BBS) < 45

118 (13.2)

82 (11.8)

36 (18.2)

< 0.001

27 (32.1)

< 0.001

Time up and go

11.9 (9.9–14.3)

11.6 (9.7–13.9)

12.7 (11–15.9)

< 0.001

13.3 (11.8–17.7)

< 0.001

Proximal muscle weakness

118 (13.2)

85 (12.3)

33 (16.7)

0.11

18 (21.4)

0.02

Polypharmacy ≥ 5

252 (28.3)

203 (29.3)

49 (24.5)

0.21

28 (33.3)

0.28

Herbal used

140 (15.7)

107 (15.4)

33 (16.7)

0.67

10 (11.9)

0.32

Calcium used

103 (11.6)

84 (12.1)

19 (9.6)

0.33

9 (10.7)

0.80