ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Geriatric Medicine
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovations and Strategies for Comprehensive Frailty Management in Older PeopleView all 20 articles
Self-Perceptions of Aging and Sarcopenia in Older Adults: The Mediating Role of IADL
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Neurology, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
- 2First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
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Objective: Sarcopenia, marked by declines in muscle mass and function, poses a major risk to healthy aging. Self-perceptions of aging (SPA) reflect individuals' attitudes toward their own aging and may influence health outcomes. This study examined the relationship between SPA and sarcopenia, focusing on the mediating role of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Methods: Data were drawn from adults aged 50 years and above participating in the 2014, 2016, and 2018 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. SPA was measured in 2014 using an 8-item scale. IADL were assessed in 2016 using five functional items. Sarcopenia was defined based on the revised criteria from the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Generalized structural equation modeling estimated direct, indirect, and total effects. Results: Over four years, higher SPA was associated with a lower risk of sarcopenia (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.65, 0.93, p = 0.007). Mediation analysis showed that IADL partially explained this relationship. SPA was significantly associated with grip strength, but not gait speed or muscle mass. Conclusion: IADL may serve as a behavioral pathway linking SPA to sarcopenia. Promoting positive aging beliefs and functional independence could aid in sarcopenia prevention.
Keywords: Sarcopenia, Self-perceptions of aging, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Mediation analysis, longitudinal study
Received: 26 Aug 2025; Accepted: 07 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Su, Zhang, Zheng, Miao and Guo. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Junhong Guo, neuroguo@163.com
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