Co-occurrence of nutritional risk, sarcopenia, and dysphagia in community-dwelling older adults: a cluster analysis

This cross-sectional study aimed to identify clusters of community-dwelling older adults based on age, nutritional status, risk of sarcopenia, and risk of dysphagia. It was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (protocol no. 6.286.013/2023) and conducted with older adults (≥ 60 years) with preserved cognitive function, selected via quota sampling stratified by health districts and proportional to sex according to the 2010 Census (IBGE). Sociodemographic and clinical data were obtained through structured interviews. The clustering variables were age, nutritional status (Mini Nutritional Assessment – MNA), risk of sarcopenia (SARC-CalF), and risk of dysphagia (Screening for Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in the Elderly – RaDI). Scores were standardized (Z-score) and subjected to the K-means method, with a significance level of 5%. A total of 596 older adults participated (69.7 ± 6.99 years; 61.7% women), and a two-cluster solution was the most suitable. All variables contributed significantly to group formation: nutritional status (F = 460.0), risk of sarcopenia (F = 337.2), risk of dysphagia (F = 80.2), and age (F = 35.7); p < 0.001. Cluster 1 comprised older and more vulnerable individuals with poorer nutritional status and higher risks of sarcopenia and dysphagia, highlighting the coexistence of these conditions and the importance of integrated screening in the care of older adults.