Reference values for hand grip strength in the South Korean population

Abstract

ObjectiveTo establish reference values for hand grip strength (HGS) in a healthy Korean population and to identify the dependent anthropometric variables that affect HGS.MethodsBased on the sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2014 to 2015, we analyzed the HGS data of 7,969 South Koreans. Individuals with specific chronic diseases and who reported poor subjective health status were excluded to ensure a healthy population sample. Means with standard deviations (SDs) and 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each 5-year interval starting from 10 years of age. To determine the relationship between HGS and anthropometric variables, we performed correlation analyses between HGS and height, weight, and body mass index (BMI). Additionally, based on these findings, the cut-off value for low HGS was presented by deriving -2SD values of healthy young adults as recommended by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People.ResultsThe mean age and BMI of men and women were 38.3 and 38.2 years and 23.8 and 22.4 kg/m2, respectively. Mean HGS of the dominant hand in men and women was 39.5 and 24.2 kg, respectively. The peak in HGS was at 35–39 years of age, after which HGS decreased in both sexes. HGS was significantly correlated with height, weight, and BMI. The cut-off values for weak HGS were < 28.9 and < 16.8 kg in men and women, respectively.ConclusionThese results provide useful reference values to assess HGS in patients who undergo hand surgery or who have various diseases that affect HGS. Moreover, a cut-off value for low HGS may help in defining sarcopenia among the Korean population.

Normative data and associated factors of hand grip strength among elderly individuals: The Yilan Study, Taiwan

“…We also compared our results with the data obtained from other studies in Taiwan and determined that our mean values were similar to those reported by Wu et al in 2009 20 , but slightly lower than the data reported by Liao et al in 2014 23 . A comparison of our data with those reported in other Asian regions revealed that the mean values obtained in our study were lower than those obtained in the studies by Seino et al in Japan and Kim et al in Korea 8,24 , but were similar to those of another study reported by Ong et al in Singapore in 2017 7 . It has been proposed that global variations in the norms of HGS were present, which might be attributable to the status of development 5 .…”

“…HGS among elderly people in Singapore was also lower than that among elderly people in some Western countries 7 . Kim et al demonstrated that among Koreans HGS peaked at 35-39 years of age and thereafter decreased in both sexes 8 . Additional studies are warranted, especially in other regions of Asia, to evaluate the normative data of HGS.…”

Association between hand grip strength and impaired health-related quality of life in Korean cancer survivors: a cross-sectional study

“…In the present study, the mean HGS value of cancer survivors by age was not different from that previously reported for the Korean general population 19 20. The reasons might be that patients with poor physical condition were excluded by chance due to the nature of the KNHANES or that most cancer survivors have well-managed physical function.…”

Handgrip strength cut‐off thresholds to define sarcopenia

“…These cut‐off thresholds are derived from the Italian InChianti study by Lauratani et al In contrast, the EWGSOP consensus recommends use of population‐specific cut‐off points for handgrip strength where available (EWGSOP1), rather than the other populations (EWGSOP1). After publication of the EWGSOP consensus, other research groups defined population‐specific handgrip strength cut‐off values . These include handgrip strength cut‐off values of ≤ 15 and ≤ 27 in the Chilean population, <16 and <27 kg in the British population, <16.8 kg and <28.9 kg in the Korean population, and <22 kg and <32 kg in the Turkish population in men and women, respectively, which was reported by our group .…”