Evidence mapPaperPMID 41957749Full record

ArticleBMC public health2026

Associations of "weekend warrior" and other physical activity patterns with sarcopenia among older adults in China: a cross-sectional study.

Shuomin Wang, Pui Hing Chau, Mengting Dai, Kehan Liu, Wenru Wang, Minhui Liu, Chia-Chin Lin

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Article in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Shuomin WangSchool of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 5/F, Academic Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Pui Hing ChauSchool of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 5/F, Academic Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Mengting DaiSchool of Nursing, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China.
Kehan LiuXiangya School of Nursing, Central South University, Changsha, China.
Wenru WangAlice Lee Centre for Nursing Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Minhui LiuSchool of Nursing, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China.
Chia-Chin LinSchool of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, 5/F, Academic Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong SAR, China. cclin@hku.hk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundModerate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) is effective in preventing sarcopenia. Current physical activity guidelines recommend ≥ 150 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for health benefits. Based on volume and frequency, distinct MVPA patterns exist beyond the regularly active pattern. The “weekend warrior” pattern, which concentrates 150 min into one or two sessions, may represent an alternative regimen for sarcopenia prevention. This study examined associations between MVPA patterns and risk of sarcopenia in older Chinese adults.

methodsThis cross-sectional study was based on 3,579 participants aged ≥ 60 years in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). MVPA patterns were self-reported through questionnaires and categorized into four groups: inactive (no MVPA), insufficiently active (IA) (< 150 min of MVPA /week), weekend warrior (WW) (≥ 150 min of MVPA with ≤ 2 sessions/week), and regularly active (RA) (≥ 150 min of MVPA with > 2 sessions/week). Sarcopenia was operationalized based on the 2019 Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) criteria, incorporating the three components of muscle strength, physical performance, and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM). Multivariable logistic regression models were employed to examine the associations of MVPA patterns with odds of sarcopenia, with subgroup analyses evaluating robustness across sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health-related characteristics.

resultsParticipants were classified as inactive (n = 1492, 41.7%), IA (n = 175, 4.9%), WW (n = 131, 3.7%) and RA (n = 1781, 49.8%). Compared to inactive individuals, those engaging in the WW pattern (OR 0.62, 95% CI: 0.42–0.94), and RA pattern (OR 0.63, 95% CI: 0.53–0.74) showed significantly lower odds of sarcopenia in the fully adjusted model. However, the IA group did not exhibit significant association across any of the models. Subgroup analyses revealed that there were no significant moderators (all interaction P > 0.05).

conclusionsThe WW pattern associates with lower odds of sarcopenia than the inactive group, offering a potential alternative for older adults who are unable to maintain regular weekly physical activity. These findings support incorporating the WW pattern into flexible physical activity recommendations for sarcopenia prevention in older adults.

Indexed as

ExerciseSarcopeniaAgedChinaCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedTime FactorsPhysical activity patternsRegularly activeSarcopeniaWeekend warriors

Identifiers

PMID41957749
PMCPMC13191848

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.