Sarcopenia in Tenerife: Prevalence, Multidimensional Vulnerability, and the Socio-Economic Case for Prevention and Treatment

Sarcopenia—the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and function—is a growing public health challenge in ageing populations. Island territories face compounded vulnerabilities due to distinct epidemiological and socio-economic profiles. This study examines sarcopenia risk prevalence among community-dwelling older adults in Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) and estimates the economic burden alongside the cost-effectiveness of evidence-based interventions. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 374 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 80.4 years, SD 4.8; 51.1% female) recruited from primary care health centres across three health zones in Tenerife. Participants were stratified into a control group without established chronic disease-related functional decline (Group 1; n = 274) and a case group with multimorbidity and functional limitations (Group 3; n = 100). Sarcopenia risk was assessed using the SARC-F questionnaire (threshold ≥4). A comprehensive geriatric battery—including the Barthel Index, FRAIL scale, MNA-SF, Pfeiffer test, SPPB, handgrip dynamometry, and IPAQ—characterised multidimensional vulnerability. Annual direct and indirect costs were estimated using unit costs from Spanish national health accounts, and intervention cost-effectiveness was modelled using published meta-analytic data. Overall sarcopenia risk prevalence was 36.4% (n = 136; SARC-F ≥4), rising to 83.0% in the case group versus 19.3% in controls (OR ≈21.5, p < 0.001). Prevalence was 42.1% in males and 30.9% in females. Diabetes was independently associated with elevated risk (44.8% vs. 29.9%; OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.23–2.92; p = 0.003). Health Zone 1 exhibited the highest prevalence (63.0%) versus Zones 2 (23.5%) and 3 (32.8%). Multidimensional vulnerability was pervasive: 71.4% were frail, 56.6% had nutritional compromise, 58.8% showed moderate cognitive impairment, and 89.8% reported low or inactive physical activity. The estimated annual socio-economic cost of sarcopenia in Tenerife is approximately EUR 88.9 million (Spain nationally: EUR 12.1 billion). Combined exercise–nutrition interventions yield cost-per-QALY ratios of EUR 3,800–7,000, far below Spain's EUR 25,000/QALY threshold. Sarcopenia constitutes a major, multidimensionally compounded health burden in Tenerife's older population, concentrated among frail, diabetic, nutritionally compromised, and physically inactive individuals. The economic case for universal SARC-F screening and multicomponent intervention is compelling, exceeding cost-effectiveness thresholds by a wide margin. Territorial disparities in burden call for equity-oriented, place-based resource allocation within the Canarian health system.