Hand‐Grip Strength Cut Points to Screen Older Persons at Risk for Mobility Limitation

Abstract

Objectives-To determine optimal hand-grip strength cut-points for increased likelihood for mobility limitation among older people and to study whether these cut-points differ according to body mass index (BMI).Design and setting-Cross-sectional analysis of data collected in the Finnish population-based Health 2000 Survey.Participants and measurements-1 084 men and 1 562 women aged 55 years and older with complete data on anthropometry, hand-grip strength and self-reported mobility. Mobility limitation was defined as difficulties in walking 0.5-km or climbing stairs. Receiver Operating Characteristics analysis was used to estimate hand-grip strength cut-points for increased likelihood for mobility limitation.Results-The overall hand-grip strength cut-points for increased likelihood for mobility limitation were 37 kg (sensitivity 62% and specificity 76%) for men and 21 kg (67% and 73%) for women. Hand-grip strength by BMI interaction on mobility limitation was significant among men (p = 0.022), while no such interaction was observed among women (p = 0.156). Among men, most optimal cut-offs were 33 kg (73% and 79%) for normal-weight men, 39 kg (67% and 71%) for overweight men and 40 kg (57% and 68%) for obese men. Among women, BMI-specific handgrip strength cut-off values did not markedly increase accuracy over the overall cut-off value.Conclusion-Hand-grip strength test is a useful tool to identify persons with increased risk for mobility limitation. Among men, the hand-grip strength cut-points for mobility increased along with BMI, while among women only one hand-grip strength threshold was identified.

Grip strength and healthy aging

“…The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Sarcopenia Project criteria defined grip strength 147 JPFSM : Grip strength and healthy aging of less than 16 kg in women as "weak" 46) . For maintaining mobility, which is the most basic ability for daily living, the grip strength cut-off value for self-reported difficulties was 19 kg in a British cohort 2) and 20 kg (body mass index: 20-24.9 kg/m 2 ) for difficulties in walking (0.5 km) or stair climbing in a Finnish cohort 47) .…”

Relação entre força de preensão manual e força de membro inferior em mulheres de meia idade: um estudo transversal

“…Especificamente em relação à medida de força, sua avaliação global em um indivíduo é possível ser predita a partir da FPM, por ser um método de baixo custo, simples, não invasivo e que apresenta muitas aplicações clínicas diferentes 7,9 . A FPM vem sendo utilizada não apenas para identificar fraqueza de membros superiores, mas também tem sido considerada representativa da força de outros grupos musculares 10 .…”

Força de preensão palmar em idosos com demência: estudo da confiabilidade

“…However, an analysis of the available literature showed the exclusion of elderly with dementia in a large part of the studies 4,5 . In most cases, the justification for exclusion is the uncertainty about the reliability of the measurements, as dementia leads to a progressive loss of memory, judgment, and attention and concomitant manifestation of aphasia and apraxia, which may influence the use of measuring devices 6 .…”

“…One measurement that has been widely used in research and clinical practice, both in the elderly with and without dementia, is strength assessed by means of the dynamometer hand grip 4,[10][11][12] . The hand grip strength (HGS) test is a relatively inexpensive measurement that provides an approximation of overall muscle strength and which is strongly associated with functionality 4,13,14 .…”

“…The hand grip strength (HGS) test is a relatively inexpensive measurement that provides an approximation of overall muscle strength and which is strongly associated with functionality 4,13,14 . The handgrip dynamometer has had its psychometric properties evaluated in populations without cognitive alterations and has been proven to be valid and reliable (intra-examiner reliability: ICC 0.94-0.98) 14 .…”