Age and Gender Differences in Physical Capability Levels from Mid-Life Onwards: The Harmonisation and Meta-Analysis of Data from Eight UK Cohort Studies

Abstract

Using data from eight UK cohorts participating in the Healthy Ageing across the Life Course (HALCyon) research programme, with ages at physical capability assessment ranging from 50 to 90+ years, we harmonised data on objective measures of physical capability (i.e. grip strength, chair rising ability, walking speed, timed get up and go, and standing balance performance) and investigated the cross-sectional age and gender differences in these measures. Levels of physical capability were generally lower in study participants of older ages, and men performed better than women (for example, results from meta-analyses (N = 14,213 (5 studies)), found that men had 12.62 kg (11.34, 13.90) higher grip strength than women after adjustment for age and body size), although for walking speed, this gender difference was attenuated after adjustment for body size. There was also evidence that the gender difference in grip strength diminished with increasing age,whereas the gender difference in walking speed widened (p<0.01 for interactions between age and gender in both cases). This study highlights not only the presence of age and gender differences in objective measures of physical capability but provides a demonstration that harmonisation of data from several large cohort studies is possible. These harmonised data are now being used within HALCyon to understand the lifetime social and biological determinants of physical capability and its changes with age.

Measurement of ageing effects on muscle tone and mechanical properties of rectus femoris and biceps brachii in healthy males and females using a novel hand-held myometric device

“…In the present study, intramuscular components were not assessed and this may be a useful measure to further understand the differences in mechanical properties for both muscles. The results for RF muscle in the current males corroborate reported greater quadriceps size and strength than in women (Young et al 1985;Cooper et al 2011a;Samuel et al 2011). …”

Prevalence of sarcopenia in community‐dwelling older people of Mexico City using the EGWSOP (European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People) diagnostic criteria

“…It is noteworthy that in our study there was a decrease in handgrip strength below the cut-off point, higher in women compared with men. Coincidental with prior studies, it has been observed that gender differences in regard to muscle strength could be explained based in the distribution of body lean mass, men tend to have greater amounts of upper body lean mass [31], meanwhile women tend to have a lower production of muscle fibers [32], however, the muscular fiber quality among gender is similar and it doesn´t explain strength differences [33].…”

Reliability of the Handgrip Strength Test in Elderly Subjects With Parkinson Disease

“…Individuals with weaker grip are more susceptible to poorer health and have increased difficulty when performing activities of daily living. 6,10,14 Because decreased grip strength can predict risk of poor health in advanced age, it is important to determine the reliability of the measurement tool for normal subjects as well as those with different disease states. 4,5,9,14,15 Cheng et al suggest that handgrip strength may be a more useful marker of multimorbidity than chronological age in men.…”