SARC-F Calculator — Sarcopenia Screening Questionnaire
Screen for sarcopenia with the SARC-F questionnaire — strength, assistance walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs and falls, 0–2 each — where a score of 4 or more is positive.
How it works
SARC-F = Strength + Assistance in walking + Rise from a chair + Climb stairs (each: none 0, some 1, a lot or unable 2) + Falls in the past year (none 0, 1–3 = 1, 4 or more = 2); total 0–10. A score of 4 or more is predictive of sarcopenia.
SARC-F (Malmstrom and Morley, JAMDA 2013) is a five-question self-report screen for sarcopenia — the age-related loss of muscle strength and mass. It was validated against poor outcomes in three large cohorts (AAH, BLSA and NHANES) and is recommended as the case-finding step in the EWGSOP2 European consensus and in the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia guidance. It has low sensitivity but high specificity, so a positive screen is useful, but a negative screen does not exclude sarcopenia. A positive result should be followed by grip strength or chair-stand testing, and then muscle mass measurement (for example DXA or bioimpedance).
Worked example
An older adult has some difficulty lifting 4.5 kg (1), no difficulty walking across a room (0), some difficulty getting up from a chair (1), some difficulty climbing 10 stairs (1) and no falls in the past year (0): SARC-F = 3 / 10 — negative screen (under 4).
Sources: Malmstrom TK, Morley JE. SARC-F: a simple questionnaire to rapidly diagnose sarcopenia. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2013;14:531–532 · Cruz-Jentoft AJ et al. Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis (EWGSOP2). Age Ageing 2019;48:16–31
Frequently asked questions
What SARC-F score means sarcopenia?
A total of 4 or more out of 10 is a positive screen and predicts sarcopenia and poor outcomes. It is not a diagnosis; strength and muscle mass must be measured to confirm.
How accurate is SARC-F?
It is highly specific (most people who screen positive have sarcopenia) but has low to moderate sensitivity, so it misses some cases. Adding calf circumference (SARC-CalF) improves sensitivity.
What happens after a positive SARC-F?
EWGSOP2 recommends checking grip strength or the chair-stand test, then muscle quantity with DXA, bioimpedance or CT/MRI, and physical performance such as gait speed or the SPPB to grade severity.
Who should be screened?
Adults aged 65 or over, especially those with falls, weight loss, slowness, weakness or chronic disease, in primary care, hospitals and care homes.
Related calculators
Clinical decision tool for education and for use by trained clinicians alongside clinical judgement — not a diagnosis and not a substitute for medical assessment. Scores and cut-offs come from the cited validation studies and may not apply to every patient; follow local protocols.