Prevalence and associated factors of dynapenia in postmenopausal women from urban-marginal community areas of Guayaquil

Background: Dynapenia is a prevalent diagnosis in older adults. However, there is limited in-formation regarding the prevalence of dynapenia or sarcopenia in socially vulnerable commu-nities in low to middle-income countries.Objective: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of dynapenia and to analyze the factors associated with a sample of postmenopausal women in community-dwelling urban marginal areas of Guayaquil. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 171 postmenopausal women was conducted in Guayaquil from November 2019 to December 2020. Participants were asked to complete a self-reported survey to collect sociodemographic data. Handgrip strength, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), body fat index, and appendicular skeletal muscle index were measured. Results: In our sample, the prevalence of dynapenia was 57.9%. There were no differences in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics between the dynapenia and non-dynapenic groups. Participants with dynapenia showed higher weight, BMI, body fat index,and appendic-ular skeletal muscle index. Conclusion: Dynapenia was prevalent among postmenopausal women of community-dwelling urban marginal areas of Guayaquil. There are opportunities to tailor strategies to prevent and manage dynapenia in vulnerable communities