Samenvatting

Introduction The Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) predicts there will be 4,6 million people aged 65 years and older living in the Netherlands in 2040. As our life expectancy rises, so do age-related health problems, chronic diseases and co-morbidities. Age-related decline in muscle mass and strength are characteristics of sarcopenia which is strongly correlated with hospitalization, death risk and the need for long-term care. Improving physical functioning and muscle mass are proven to be effective strategies against sarcopenia and its effects on health care costs. However, regarding overall health perception, there might be more domains to focus on. The aim of this cross-sectional quantitative study was to assess whether there is a relationship between the parameters used in diagnosing sarcopenia according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia and health related quality of life (QoL) in Dutch community dwelling older aged adults. All baseline data from the Dutch VITAMIN-trial was used in this study. Methods Information regarding education, health related QoL, physical activity level, protein intake and other characteristics were obtained. Objective measurements of handgrip strength and physical functioning as well as bodyweight and lean mass were done at the Amsterdam Nutritional Assessment Center. For statistics, multivariate regression analyses were used. Results This study found handgrip strength and gait speed to be significantly correlated with self-perceived physical functioning from the RAND-36 health survey (p