<p>Polish Translation and Validation of the SARC-F Tool for the Assessment of Sarcopenia</p>

Abstract

Introduction: Completion of the SARC-F questionnaire constitutes the obligatory first step in the diagnostic process of sarcopenia, according to the revised European consensus on the definition and diagnosis of sarcopenia published by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People2 (EWGSOP2). SARC-F has been recognized as the most up-todate and coherent screening tool for sarcopenia. The aim of the study was to translate and to validate the Polish version of the SARC-F questionnaire. Materials and Methods: The validation process was performed in two stages: 1) translation and intercultural adaptation and 2) clinical validation. The inclusion criteria were as follows: age ≥65 years, unimpaired mobility, and no cognitive impairment. The EWGSOP2 criteria were used to diagnose sarcopenia. Hand grip strength measurement, physical fitness test, and body weight composition analysis were conducted. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy-likelihood ratios, and SARC-F predictive values were calculated using the EWGSOP2 criteria. Results: Sixty-seven people participated in the study of whom 21% were diagnosed with sarcopenia (SARC-F score: ≥4). The reliability of the questionnaire based on the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.784. Sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive values were 92.9%, 98.1%, and 98.1%, respectively. Conclusion: The process of validating the SARC-F questionnaire against Polish conditions demonstrated its applicability as a simple and reliable tool for diagnosing sarcopenia in daily clinical practice with older adults.

Polish version of SARC-F to assess sarcopenia in older adults: An examination of reliability and validity

“…It should be emphasized that higher sensitivity of SARC-F has been found in some more recent validation studies, published since 2018, and mentioned before [16,17,22]. Surprisingly high values of SARC-F sensitivity and specificity against EWGSOP2 criteria (92.9% and 98.1%, respectively) were published by Zasadzka et al [22] in April 2020. The study analyzed the psychometric properties of the Polish version of SARC-F using the EWGSOP2 diagnostic criteria as the only reference standard.…”

“…A meta-analysis assessing the screening ability of SARC-F, which included six studies published before September 2017, showed low sensitivity (14-21%) and high specificity (90-93%) of this tool against EWGSOP1 as well as IWGS and AWGS criteria [35]. It should be emphasized that higher sensitivity of SARC-F has been found in some more recent validation studies, published since 2018, and mentioned before [16,17,22]. Surprisingly high values of SARC-F sensitivity and specificity against EWGSOP2 criteria (92.9% and 98.1%, respectively) were published by Zasadzka et al [22] in April 2020.…”

“…We have searched the Medline database for validation studies of language versions of the SARC-F questionnaire. We have found 13 studies, most of which performed in community-living older adults [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. When EWGSOP1 criteria were used as a diagnostic standard, the authors reported on low sensitivity and high specificity of SARC-F. For example, the sensitivity of Turkish version of SARC-F was 25%, and the specificity 81% [15].…”

“…To extend the SARC-F questionnaire's availability, Special Interest Group on Sarcopenia of European Union Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS) included language translation and validation of SARC-F among their priorities in 2017 [13]. Such analyses have been conducted by several research teams in the world [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Following the encouragement of EuGMS, we decided to translate the SARC-F into Polish and validate it against six sets of diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia: EWGSOP1 [5], EWGSOP2 [1], FNIH [6], AWGS [7], IWGS [8] and SCWD [9].…”

Equal Opportunities for Stroke Survivors’ Rehabilitation: A Study on the Validity of the Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale Translated and Adapted into Romanian

“…Like many other assessment scales that are translated from English and adapted into the national language [21][22][23][24][25], originally in English and Swedish, up to the present UEFMA has been translated and used in Italy, Japan, The Netherlands and the USA [26] and has been validated in its translated forms for Danish and Spanish (Colombian) [27,28].…”