Attitude and Understanding of Sarcopenia among Clinical-year Medical Students in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Thailand
Panita Limpawattana, MD1, Manchumad Manjavong, MD1, Prapassawan Tanlawan, MD1, Nutwara Saengwijit, MD1, Khanyanut Ojongpien, MD1
Affiliation : 1Internal Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Objective: Although sarcopenia is highly prevalent and associated with many adverse outcomes, prior studies have shown that healthcare professionals still need to be more aware of and knowledgeable about this condition. The present study aimed to determine the attitudes and levels of understanding regarding sarcopenia among clinical-year medical students who will become physicians and explore the correlation between positive attitudes and knowledge of sarcopenia among participants.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study using an electronic Thai questionnaire, which addressed various aspects of sarcopenia, to evaluate attitudes and knowledge among participants. A five-point Likert scale assessed attitudes toward sarcopenia; binary “yes” or “no” responses tested knowledge about it. Participants were clinical-year medical students (4th to 6th year). Descriptive statistics analyzed demographic data, while Spearman rank correlation assessed the relationship between positive attitudes and overall knowledge scores on sarcopenia.
Results: Of the 852 individuals, 202 (24%) completed questionnaires. Approximately 80% were familiar with the term but were uncertain about its diagnostic criteria and clinical significance. The median score for knowledge about sarcopenia was 21 out of 30 (70%). Participants excelled in understanding its definition and importance (70%), causes (75%), and management (70%) but performed in diagnosis, scoring only 50%. A marginal correlation existed between positive attitude and scores on sarcopenia knowledge of 0.2 (95% CI 0.1 to 0.3, p<0.05).
Conclusion: A majority of participants had positive attitude toward sarcopenia, and possessed good sarcopenia knowledge in most aspects, except for diagnosis. The positive attitude regarding sarcopenia showed a low correlation with sarcopenia knowledge. Strategies should be implemented to enhance their confidence in diagnosing and managing sarcopenia, which may increase the correlation between a positive attitude and their knowledge.
Keywords : Aging; Disability; Frailty; Sarcopenia
