EVALUATION OF LEE'S FORMULA AS AN ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASURE IN ELDERLY PEOPLE

Background: Anthropometry analyzes body dimensions and can serve as a substitute for direct muscle mass measurement. Older adults are particularly susceptible to sarcopenia, a progressive loss of muscle mass. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Lee's formula for estimating muscle mass loss in this population. Methods: This was a secondary, observational, analytical, and cross-sectional study involving older adults receiving ambulatory care who did not have locomotor limitations for the assessment of muscle strength. Descriptive variables included age, sex, marital status, education, number of comorbidities, and body fat percentage. Lee’s formula and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) measurements were used for comparison. Results: The sample included 35 older adults, of whom 20 (57.14%) were women and 15 (42.86%) were men, with a mean age of 78 years. The most sensitive (94.74%) and most speciflc (93.75%) cut-off points of Lee’s formula for estimating muscle mass relative to height squared were ≥11.78 and ≥35.91, respectively. A relationship was also observed between smaller calf circumference and reduced muscle mass, particularly among women. Conclusions: The sensitivity and speciflcity of Lee’s formula were generally low, only exceeding 90% at the extremes of muscle mass values. These flndings suggest that equations using anthropometric parameters for muscle mass assessment have limited correlation and may not be reliable for use in the general population.