Background. An accurate measurement of body composition among the elderly is important to diagnose various clinical conditions associated with muscle loss (e.g. sarcopenia and cachexia). Methods. 55 men and 23 women (mean age, 66.9 years) were included in this validation study. The skinfold thickness technique (SKF) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) were validated against dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in terms of fat mass percentage (%FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) among lean and obese sarcopenic elderly. Three different machines were used for BIA: Omron HBF-510, Tanita BC-418, and Maltron-916. Results. Agreement between DEXA and the Maltron-916 was the best, with mean bias in %FM being 2.8% and 0.6%, and in FFM being -1.7 kg and -1.2 kg for the lean and obese sarcopenics, respectively. Respectively for Tanita BC-418, Omron-HBF-510, and SKF, the mean biases in %FM were 3.4%, 5.2%, and 6.4% among lean sarcopenics, and 1.8%, 8.3%, and 9.1% among obese sarcopenics, whereas the mean biases in FFM were -2.2 kg, -3.4 kg, and -3.9 kg among the former, and -2.1 kg, -6.8 kg, and -7.4 kg among the latter. Accuracy in assessing %FM and FFM was higher in the obese than lean sarcopenics. Conclusions. Maltron-916 agreed with DEXA the most in measuring body composition, compared with the other BIA machines and SKF. Nonetheless, caution should be exercised when assessing lean sarcopenic elderly people.

Obesity is an emerging public health threat in the elderly population in developing countries. Hence, the Third National Health and Morbidity Survey has assessed 4746 individuals aged 60 years and older recruited through a household survey to determine the prevalence of adiposity using body mass index and waist circumference. The national’s prevalence of overweight and obesity in men was 29.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 27.2-31.3) and 7.4% (95% CI = 6.4-8.6), respectively. However, the prevalence decreased with age. The figures in women were 30.3% (95% CI = 28.5-32.1) and 13.8% (95% CI = 12.5-15.2), respectively. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 21.4% (95%CI = 20.2-22.6), with 7.7% (95% CI = 6.7-9.0) in men and 33.4% (95% CI = 31.4-35.3) in women. Predictors of adiposity include the following: Malay and Indian ethnicity, higher education level, higher household income, from urban area, and being married. In conclusion, adiposity affects about one third of the Malaysian elderly population, especially those of the younger age group, women, and those with higher socioeconomic status.

Background. An accurate measurement of body composition among the elderly is important to diagnose various clinical conditions associated with muscle loss (e.g. sarcopenia and cachexia). Methods. 55 men and 23 women (mean age, 66.9 years) were included in this validation study. The skinfold thickness technique (SKF) and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) were validated against dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in terms of fat mass percentage (%FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) among lean and obese sarcopenic elderly. Three different machines were used for BIA: Omron HBF-510, Tanita BC-418, and Maltron-916. Results. Agreement between DEXA and the Maltron-916 was the best, with mean bias in %FM being 2.8% and 0.6%, and in FFM being -1.7 kg and -1.2 kg for the lean and obese sarcopenics, respectively. Respectively for Tanita BC-418, Omron-HBF-510, and SKF, the mean biases in %FM were 3.4%, 5.2%, and 6.4% among lean sarcopenics, and 1.8%, 8.3%, and 9.1% among obese sarcopenics, whereas the mean biases in FFM were -2.2 kg, -3.4 kg, and -3.9 kg among the former, and -2.1 kg, -6.8 kg, and -7.4 kg among the latter. Accuracy in assessing %FM and FFM was higher in the obese than lean sarcopenics. Conclusions. Maltron-916 agreed with DEXA the most in measuring body composition, compared with the other BIA machines and SKF. Nonetheless, caution should be exercised when assessing lean sarcopenic elderly people.