Prevalencia de sarcopenia en estudiantes universitarios colombianos mediante fuerza de prensión manual y perímetro de pantorrilla corregido por IMC

Sarcopenia, a disease that typically manifests in advanced age, is increasingly prevalent in younger individuals. This phenomenon is largely attributable to sedentary lifestyles, poor dietary habits, and excessive sedentary behavior. Early detection is therefore crucial for effective management. In order to ascertain the prevalence of sarcopenia in Colombian post-secondary education students, an evaluation of hand grip strength (HGS) and calf circumference corrected by BMI was conducted on 1649 students 912men and 737 women from four Colombian official tertiary education institutionswere evaluated in a cross-sectional study. Anthropometric measurements, including height, body mass, and CC, were conducted in accordance with the ISAK techniques by trained anthropometrists. The HGS was assessed with a Takei Smedly III dynamometer (Takei Scientific Instruments Co., Ltd, Niigata, Japan). The calculation of normality, measures of central tendency, dispersion and association was conducted using the Python program (version 3.1). The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its subsequent amendments. A total of 371 students (22.5%) were identified as having sarcopenia based on PP measurements, with164 (22.3%) being male and 207 (22.7%) being female. By FPM, 244 students (14.8%) were identified, 156 men (21.2%) and 88 women (9.6%). The combination of the two risk factors identified82 students (5.0%), with 52 men (7.1%) and 30 women (3.3%). These prevalent figures highlight the urgent need for the implementation of preventive programs in higher education institutions (HEIs), which should be delivered through educational measures and the provision of physical activity programs.