Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) score as a discriminator of dynapenic abdominal obesity among community-dwelling older adults.

The aim of this study is to verify the utility of using physical performance to discriminate the presence of dynapenic abdominal obesity (DAO) in older adults. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 382 community-dwelling older adults. DAO was identified when dynapenia (cut-off points of <26 kilogram-force [kgf] for men and <16 kgf for women) was detected together with abdominal obesity (waist circumference >102 cm for men and >88 cm for women). Physical performance was assessed with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). SPPB scores and DAO were inversely associated even after adjustment (OR: 0.69; 95%CI: 0.58-0.83). Cut-off points of ≤9 for SPPB scores were the most efficient for discriminating the presence of DAO in both men (AUC= 0.836; 95%CI: 0.76-0.89; sensitivity: 90.91% and specificity: 60.33%) and women (AUC= 0.677; 95%CI: 0.62-0.73; sensitivity: 73.33% and specificity: 40.91%). Physical performance assessed with SPPB can discriminate DAO and be useful for the timely identification and management of this condition in older adults.