BACKGROUND:

Although undernutrition and sarcopenia are common among older adults and both result in worse health outcomes, data concerning the burden of these conditions in Portuguese community-dwelling older adults are scarce.

OBJECTIVE:

The aim of this study was to firstly describe the occurrence of sarcopenia and undernutrition among a nationwide community-dwelling sample of older adults.

METHODS:

Using a cross-sectional analysis, 1493 Portuguese older adults age ≥65 years from the Nutrition UP 65 study were evaluated. Sarcopenia was defined according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People, and undernutrition status was evaluated by Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form.

RESULTS:

Sarcopenia frequency was 11.6%, and of these, 4.4% were classified with severe sarcopenia. Furthermore, 0.8% presented sarcopenic obesity. Undernutrition frequency was 1.3%, and 14.7% of the older adults were classified as being at undernutrition risk.

CONCLUSION:

Sarcopenia is present in one-tenth of the sample. This frequency taken together with undernutrition data warrants further study and preventive measures.