Monitoramento da sarcopenia por meio de dispositivo vestível em pessoas idosas comunitárias: resultados do estudo PRO-EVA

Abstract

Introduction: Wearable devices have gained prominence for measuring health indicators and physical activity (PA) components, which are related to chronic health conditions. However, its applicability in monitoring sarcopenia is still a gap in the literature. Objective: To investigate how wearable devices can help in the assessment and monitoring of sarcopenia in community-dwelling elderly people. Methods: This thesis is composed of three studies: Article 1 – This is a Systematic Review (RS) protocol. The RS protocol was limited to the search for observational studies and/or initial data from prospective studies, which used wearable devices to monitor sarcopenia. Only the EWGSOP, EWGSOP2 and IWGS consensuses were considered as diagnostic criteria. This protocol was submitted to the International Prospective Registry of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). Article 2 – RS Study. Article 3 – Observational and methodological study developed with community-dwelling elderly people, who were assessed for the presence of probable sarcopenia and the level of Physical Activity (PA) using a smartwatch-type wearable device, with the aim of establishing cutoff points to discriminate probable sarcopenia, using the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristics) Curve. Results: Article 2: The RS study included 6 studies, which summary results suggests that PA intensity, measured using triaxial accelerometers, is the most commonly used parameter, demonstrating an association between PA level and sarcopenia. The body segments to position the sensors with the greatest potential to be explored are the hip and wrist. Article 3: 168 elderly people were evaluated, of which 69 had probable sarcopenia, with an average of 75.8 ± 56.2 active minutes involved in light PA per week and an average of 80.8 ±56.9 minutes involved in moderate PA per week. The best accuracy cutoff points were 109 minutes (AUC: 61%) for mild AF; 56 minutes (AUC: 65%) for moderate PA; 8,417 (AUC: 67%) for number of steps per day; 2,707 (AUC: 65%) for calories per day; and 5,439 meters for distance traveled per day. Conclusions: The findings, particularly from articles 1 and 2, suggest that measuring the level of PA and movement behavior using triaxial accelerometers shows promise in monitoring the physical performance of individuals with probable sarcopenia. Furthermore, it contributes to the understanding of how PA and movement behavior measures can be explored in the context of monitoring and presents recommendations for new research in the area. Additionally, the results of article 3 demonstrate that the PA construct, assessed by a wearable device, is a good classifier for discriminating probable sarcopenia. Therefore, technology can be seen as a viable tool that can contribute to the monitoring of sarcopenia, allowing identification and planning of early interventions.