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Social isolation and sarcopenia: the mediating role of physical activity and the intersocietal differences from US and China.

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Title: Social isolation and sarcopenia: the mediating role of physical activity and the intersocietal differences from US and China.
Authors: Li, Sicheng (AUTHOR), He, Lingxiao (AUTHOR), Fang, Ya (AUTHOR)
Source: Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology. Jun2026, Vol. 61 Issue 6, p989-998. 10p.
Subjects: Sarcopenia, Social isolation, Physical activity, Older people, Mediation (Statistics), Cross-cultural studies
Geographic Terms: China, United States
Abstract: Background: Little is known about the causal relationship between sarcopenia and social isolation. This study investigated the association between social isolation and sarcopenia and explored the mediating role of physical activity among American and Chinese older adults. Methods: Data were from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), encompassing 3,383 American and 6,996 Chinese. Sarcopenia was defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 and Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria. Social isolation was measured by the Steptoe Social Isolation Index for American and a 5-item scale for Chinese. Logistic regression models with inverse probability weighting were conducted to explore the effect of social isolation on sarcopenia risk. Causal mediation analysis was conducted to examine direct and indirect associations. Results: Over 8-year and 4-year follow-ups, 363 Americans and 392 Chinese had sarcopenia. Social isolation was associated with higher risk of sarcopenia in HRS (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.02–1.29) and CHARLS (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.10–1.39). The indirect effects of social isolation on sarcopenia through physical activity were significant only in HRS, explaining 7.63% of the total effect. Handgrip strength and gait speed were significantly associated with social isolation for HRS and CHARLS, while muscle mass and chair-stand test performance were significantly associated only in CHARLS. Conclusions: Social isolation significantly increased the risk of sarcopenia. Physical activity partially mediated this association only in Americans. More attention should be paid on socially isolated older adults to prevent sarcopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Social isolation and sarcopenia: the mediating role of physical activity and the intersocietal differences from US and China.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Sicheng%22">Li, Sicheng</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22He%2C+Lingxiao%22">He, Lingxiao</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fang%2C+Ya%22">Fang, Ya</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Social+Psychiatry+%26+Psychiatric+Epidemiology%22">Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 61 Issue 6, p989-998. 10p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sarcopenia%22">Sarcopenia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+isolation%22">Social isolation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Physical+activity%22">Physical activity</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Older+people%22">Older people</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mediation+%28Statistics%29%22">Mediation (Statistics)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cross-cultural+studies%22">Cross-cultural studies</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Background: Little is known about the causal relationship between sarcopenia and social isolation. This study investigated the association between social isolation and sarcopenia and explored the mediating role of physical activity among American and Chinese older adults. Methods: Data were from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), encompassing 3,383 American and 6,996 Chinese. Sarcopenia was defined by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 and Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria. Social isolation was measured by the Steptoe Social Isolation Index for American and a 5-item scale for Chinese. Logistic regression models with inverse probability weighting were conducted to explore the effect of social isolation on sarcopenia risk. Causal mediation analysis was conducted to examine direct and indirect associations. Results: Over 8-year and 4-year follow-ups, 363 Americans and 392 Chinese had sarcopenia. Social isolation was associated with higher risk of sarcopenia in HRS (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.02–1.29) and CHARLS (OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.10–1.39). The indirect effects of social isolation on sarcopenia through physical activity were significant only in HRS, explaining 7.63% of the total effect. Handgrip strength and gait speed were significantly associated with social isolation for HRS and CHARLS, while muscle mass and chair-stand test performance were significantly associated only in CHARLS. Conclusions: Social isolation significantly increased the risk of sarcopenia. Physical activity partially mediated this association only in Americans. More attention should be paid on socially isolated older adults to prevent sarcopenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1007/s00127-025-02832-4
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      – SubjectFull: Physical activity
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      – SubjectFull: Mediation (Statistics)
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      – SubjectFull: China
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      – SubjectFull: United States
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      – TitleFull: Social isolation and sarcopenia: the mediating role of physical activity and the intersocietal differences from US and China.
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            NameFull: Li, Sicheng
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              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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