ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1608511
This article is part of the Research Topic(Un)healthy lifestyles, Aging, and Type 2 DiabetesView all 14 articles
The Association Between Living Habits, Physical Activity Level and Sarcopenia in Chinese Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-sectional Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Fengyang College, Shanxi Medical University, Fengyang, China
- 2Fenyang Hospital of Shanxi Province, Fenyang, China
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Objective: Sarcopenia significantly impacts quality of life and increases morbidity in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to investigate the association between Living habits, physical activity levels, and sarcopenia in this population. Methods: A cross-sectional study included 65 older adults with T2DM from a tertiary hospital in Shanxi Province, China. Dietary habits were assessed using a three-day dietary recall method. Physical activity levels were quantified using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and categorized (high/moderate/low) based on metabolic equivalent (MET)-minutes/week. Sleep patterns were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), with regular sleep defined as 7–9 hours nightly and a PSQI score ≤5. Sarcopenia was diagnosed according to the 2019 Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) criteria. Participants were categorized into sarcopenia and non-sarcopenia groups. Clinical data were compared, and multivariate logistic regression analyzed associations between lifestyle factors, physical activity, and sarcopenia. Results: The proportions of regular exercise, regular sleep, balanced diet, and high physical activity were significantly lower in the sarcopenia group (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis identified regular exercise (OR=0.42, 95%CI: 0.25–0.71), regular sleep (OR=0.56, 95%CI: 0.33–0.94), balanced diet (OR=0.61, 95%CI: 0.37–0.99), and high physical activity (OR=0.48, 95%CI: 0.29–0.80) as protective factors against sarcopenia (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Living habits and physical activity levels are significantly associated with sarcopenia risk in older adults with T2DM, suggesting potential targets for prevention strategies.
Keywords: older adults, type 2 diabetes mellitus, Sarcopenia, Lifestyle habits, physical activity
Received: 09 Apr 2025; Accepted: 11 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yue, Shen, Li, Zhang, Zhao, Zhang and Xue. 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: Yiting Yue, Fengyang College, Shanxi Medical University, Fengyang, China
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