HAND GRIP STRENGTH, PHYSICAL FUNCTION, AND MORTALITY AMONG MEXICAN AMERICANS 75 YEARS AND OLDER

The objective of this study was to investigate the associations between handgrip strength and both physical function and mortality in older Mexican Americans. Data are from a ten-year prospective cohort study of 1,368 Mexican-Americans aged 75 and older from the Hispanic Established Population for t...

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Published in:Innovation in aging 2017-07, Vol.1 (suppl_1), p.405-405
Main Authors: Sampson, D., Graham, J., Kumar, A., Markides, K.S., Ottenbacher, K.J., Al Snih, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:The objective of this study was to investigate the associations between handgrip strength and both physical function and mortality in older Mexican Americans. Data are from a ten-year prospective cohort study of 1,368 Mexican-Americans aged 75 and older from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly. Measures included socio-demographic variables, hand grip strength, the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), medical conditions, cognitive function, depression, body mass index, and mortality. Baseline hand grip strength means for women and men were 17.6 Kg (4.8) and 27.9 Kg (7.2), respectively. Means for the SPPB were 6.7 (2.9) for women and 7.5 (2.9) for men. At follow-up, 584 participants were confirmed dead. Using general linear mixed models, we found that women in the second and third lowest handgrip strength quartiles had greater SPPB declines over time (b= -0.13; standard error=0.06, p=0.02 and b= -0.14, standard error=0.05, p=0.01, respectively) compared to participants in the highest quartile. This association remained statistically significant after controlling for all covariates. No significant association was found between hand grip strength quartiles and changes in SPPB scores in men. In women and men in the lowest hand grip strength quartile, the hazard ratio of death controlling for all covariates was 1.66 (95% CI = 1.17–2.37) and 2.09 (95% CI = 1.42–3.07), respectively, compared with those in the highest hand strength quartile. Hand grip strength is a strong predictor of long-term decline in physical function and mortality in older Mexican Americans, after controlling for other relevant risk factors.
ISSN:2399-5300
2399-5300
DOI:10.1093/geroni/igx004.1460