Journal Article

Parker Mobility Score as a Screening Tool for Sarcopenia in Older German Adults: A Cross‐Sectional Analysis of Trial Data

Singler, Katrin, Gosch, Markus, Masuch, Johanna, Habboub, Basel, Oludowole, Emmanuel, Speer, Robert, Berger, Ursula

2026

Overview

Background Sarcopenia is the pathologic loss of muscle strength and mass. SARC‐F screener for sarcopenia has been criticized for its low sensitivity. The Parker Mobility Score (PMS) is widely used to assess mobility in older adults. This study evaluates PMS's ability to detect sarcopenia. Methods We used data from the Paint II clinical trial, which examined the effects of art therapy in community‐dwelling older individuals. Sarcopenia was defined using EWGSOP2 criteria: probable sarcopenia as handgrip strength < 27 kg (men) or < 16 kg (women) and/or chair stand test > 15 s. Sarcopenia was confirmed in patients with probable sarcopenia when their appendicular skeletal muscle mass index was below 7 kg/m² for men or 5.5 kg/m² for women. The PMS's diagnostic performance was assessed using ROC analysis. Results Data from 255 participants (200 (78%) female, median age 81) were analyzed. 196 (77%) participants had probable sarcopenia and 26 (10%) were sarcopenic. PMS showed moderate discrimination for probable sarcopenia, with an AUC of 0.75 (95% CI: 0.68–0.81). The cutoff (< 8) provided a sensitivity of (77%) and specificity of (64%). For sarcopenia, the AUC was 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52–0.69), indicating low to moderate discrimination. The PMS cutoff of < 8 showed high sensitivity (92%), but low specificity (36%). Similar results were observed for sarcopenic obesity, with an AUC of 0.61. Conclusion PMS demonstrated moderate accuracy for identifying probable sarcopenia and high sensitivity for detecting sarcopenia. Although this high sensitivity is linked to a lower specificity, the trade‐off is acceptable because the follow‐up diagnostic tests are non‐invasive with low costs. Due to its widespread use and feasibility in clinical practice, PMS may represent a practical tool for case finding. Further research is required to confirm its accuracy in different populations. Why does this paper matter? Sarcopenia often remains underdiagnosed. The Parker Mobility Score, which is already part of standard geriatric assessments, could enable earlier and broader identification of older adults at risk.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc,Wiley
• Subject: Art therapy / Body composition / Clinical medicine / Cross-sectional studies / Geriatrics / Mobility / Muscle strength / Musculoskeletal system / Obesity / Older people / Original Research / Parker Mobility Score / Pathology / Questionnaires / Sarcopenia / sarcopenic obesity / SARC‐F / screening