Assessment of Handgrip Strength in Healthy African Subjects: Establishing Age and Gender Stratified Reference Values

• Published in: Nigerian journal of clinical practice Vol. 26; no. 7; pp. 1029 - 1035
• Main Authors: Essien, UAI, Amechi, KU, Madu, KA, Ede, O, Iyidobi, EC, Anyaehie, UE, Obadaseraye, OR, Ogbonnaya, IS, Ogbu, DC, Ngwangwa, CL
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd 01.07.2023; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd
• Edition: 2
• Subjects: Age; Grip strength; Health aspects; Measurement; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Original Article; Physiological aspects; Reference values (Medicine); Sex (Biology); Nigeria
• ISSN: 1119-3077; 2229-7731
• DOI: 10.4103/njcp.njcp_138_23

ABSTRACT Background: The handgrip strength assesses hand function in traumatic and non-traumatic upper extremity conditions. It is also a surrogate marker for other systemic diseases unrelated to the upper limb. Various reference values have been established in different world regions, with few studies in our population. Aim: To determine the average handgrip strength by gender and age categories among healthy subjects in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study assessing handgrip strength by age category (ten-year bin width), gender, and handedness in 210 healthy persons aged 10 to 79 in Nigeria. Its relationship with age, height, weight, mid-arm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, and mid-arm muscle area was evaluated using multiple linear regression. Results: The mean handgrip strength in the dominant and non-dominant hands was 31.09 kg and 28.45 kg, respectively, P < 0.001. Males have higher values than females in all age categories. The grip strength peaked in the 30-39-year age group in both genders and declined afterward. Age exhibited a nonlinear pattern but had an overall negative relationship, while height was positively related to grip strength in both genders. In contrast, mid-arm circumference and mid-arm muscle area predicted handgrip strength only in males. Triceps skinfold thickness was excluded from the model because of multicollinearity with the mid-arm muscle area, while weight did not predict grip strength in either gender. Conclusion: The handgrip strength in this study is less than that in western literature. Hence, test interpretation should reference the values from this study.