Handgrip strength and 2D : 4D in women: homogeneous samples challenge the (apparent) gender paradox.
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SUBMITTER: Back N
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8651413 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Background:Gender and ethnicity are factors which influence strength, and hand dominance could be a critical component of handgrip strength (HGS) testing. Providing such HGS percentiles across the lifespan may help to identify weakness-related health concerns. We sought to generate growth charts and curves for HGS by gender and ethnicity in a nationally-representative sample of Americans aged 6-80 years. Methods:Data from 13,617 participants in the 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 waves of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. HGS was measured with a handgrip dynamometer. Age, gender, ethnicity, and hand dominance were self-reported. Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated from height and body mass. Measures of absolute HGS and HGS normalized to BMI were separately included in parametric quantile regression analyses for determining the 10th-90th percentiles across ages by gender and ethnicity. Similar models were also conducted by hand dominance. Results:Differences in absolute HGS and HGS normalized to BMI quantiles across ages existed for each ethnicity regardless of gender. In men, absolute HGS generally increased until about 25 years of age, began to decline around age 30 years, and regressed into older adulthood. In women, absolute HGS appeared to rise starting at age 6 years, peaked between 20 and 30 years of age, but was maintained into mid-life before declining in older adulthood. Similar results were found for HGS normalized to BMI. Conclusions:Our findings provide percentile charts for HGS capacity that could be utilized for comparing individual measures of HGS to those from a United States population-representative sample.
| S-EPMC6954001 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Background:There is a dearth of data on prospectively recorded symptoms in patients with uncontrolled asthma. Asthma symptoms and exacerbation rate are commonly thought to be associated. The aim of this study was to analyse asthma symptoms of cough, wheeze, chest tightness and breathlessness in an uncontrolled asthma cohort. We also examined the effect of maintenance and reliever therapy (MART) on these symptoms and its effect on exacerbation rate. Methods:Adults with uncontrolled asthma electronically recorded their asthma symptom severity scores twice-daily over a period of 48?weeks following randomisation to beclometasone/formoterol twice daily plus pro re nata (prn) salbutamol or MART. Subjects with symptom scores of ?2 (ranging from 0 to 3 for each symptom) were considered more symptomatic, whereas those below a score of 2 were considered less severe. The influence treatment on exacerbation frequency and symptom profiles were then correlated. Results:Of the 1701 subjects in the analyses, 1403 were symptomatic with ?100 symptom episodes for one symptom. The remaining 298 subjects were classified as pauci-symptomatic. There was poor association between the frequency and symptom severity score for each symptom. Surprisingly, wheeze was the least reported symptom. Females were more likely to be polysymptomatic. MART compared with prn salbutamol markedly attenuated severe asthma exacerbations. This effect was most notable in subjects with fewer symptoms. Conclusions:In uncontrolled asthma, there is a poor correlation between reported symptoms and exacerbation frequency. This post hoc analysis suggests that MART should not be reserved for symptomatic subjects but achieves the greatest benefit in pauci-symptomatic patients with asthma. Trial registration:ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00861926.
| S-EPMC6820175 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesRecent studies have suggested that assessing handgrip strength (HGS) asymmetry together with HGS may be helpful for evaluating problems in geriatric patients. This study aimed to identify whether HGS asymmetry, weakness, or both were associated with depression in Korean older adults.MethodsThis study included 4274 subjects from the sixth and seventh Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. The maximum HGS of the dominant hand was used as a representative value. HGS symmetry was categorized by the ratio of the HGS of the dominant hand to that of non-dominant hand. The odds ratio (OR) for depression was calculated according to the HGS and its symmetry.ResultsIn total, 240 (12.5%) men and 534 (22.7%) women had depression. HGS or HGS asymmetry showed no statistically significant associations with depression in elderly men. Elevated odds of depression were observed in elderly women with low HGS (OR, 1.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.33 to 2.81) or prominent HGS asymmetry (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.02 to 2.08). There was a positive additive interaction between asymmetric HGS and weakness, as women with low and prominently asymmetric HGS showed higher odds of depression (OR, 3.77; 95% CI, 2.16 to 6.59) than women with high and symmetric HGS.ConclusionsDepression in elderly Korean women was associated with both low and asymmetric HGS. Our findings support the potential value of HGS asymmetry as an indicator of HGS.
| S-EPMC7939759 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The so-called "gender-equality paradox" is the fact that gender segregation across occupations is more pronounced in more egalitarian and more developed countries. Some scholars have explained this paradox by the existence of deeply rooted or intrinsic gender differences in preferences that materialize more easily in countries where economic constraints are more limited. In line with a strand of research in sociology, we show instead that it can be explained by cross-country differences in essentialist gender norms regarding math aptitudes and appropriate occupational choices. To this aim, we propose a measure of the prevalence and extent of internalization of the stereotype that "math is not for girls" at the country level. This is done using individual-level data on the math attitudes of 300,000 15-y-old female and male students in 64 countries. The stereotype associating math to men is stronger in more egalitarian and developed countries. It is also strongly associated with various measures of female underrepresentation in math-intensive fields and can therefore entirely explain the gender-equality paradox. We suggest that economic development and gender equality in rights go hand-in-hand with a reshaping rather than a suppression of gender norms, with the emergence of new and more horizontal forms of social differentiation across genders.
| S-EPMC7733804 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:muscle strength measured as handgrip strength declines with increasing age and predicts mortality. While handgrip strength is determined by lifestyle through nutrition and physical activity, it has almost exclusively been studied in western populations with a sedentary lifestyle. This study aims to investigate the relation between handgrip strength, ageing and mortality in a population characterised by a predominance of malnutrition and manual labour. DESIGN:a population-based longitudinal study. SETTING:a traditional African rural population in Ghana. SUBJECTS:nine hundred and twenty-three community-dwelling individuals aged 50 and older. METHODS:demographic characteristics were registered. At baseline, height, body mass index (BMI) and handgrip strength were measured and compared with those in a western reference population. Survival of the participants was documented during a period of up to 2 years. RESULTS:handgrip strength was dependent on age, sex, height and BMI. Compared with the western reference population, handgrip strength was lower due to a lower height and BMI but declined over age similarly. Risk of mortality was lower in participants having higher handgrip strength, with a hazard ratio of 0.94 per kg increase (P = 0.002). After adjustment for age, sex, tribe, socio-economic status, drinking water source, height and BMI, only handgrip strength remained predictive of mortality. CONCLUSION:in a traditional rural African population characterised by malnutrition and manual labour, handgrip strength declines over age and independently predicts mortality similar to western populations. Handgrip strength can be used as a universal marker of ageing.
| S-EPMC4411221 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVES:To test for social structural effects on the gender paradox in suicidal behaviour. METHODS:We analyzed newspaper reports of completed and attempted suicides in the Scottish city of Dundee during the mass movement of women into the paid labour force in the 19th and early 20th Centuries. We calculated rates of suicides per 100,000 of the male and female populations. RESULTS:We found that the female suicide rate dropped during this time period, whereas there was only a significant reduction in attempted suicide amongst men. CONCLUSIONS:Our understanding, and action to prevent, suicide in men and women must take place in the context of our gendered social world.
| S-EPMC6107173 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The objective of the study was to examine the association between handgrip strength (HGS), knee flexion and extension strength, and static and dynamic balance in older women. One hundred and ten women with a mean age of 67.4±5.9 years were assessed for dynamic postural balance using the Time Up & Go Test (TUG) with and without cognitive tasks. Semi-static balance was assessed by means of a force platform; knee flexor and extensor muscle strength was calculated using an isokinetic dynamometer; and HGS using a hand held dynamometer. Weaker HGS was significantly correlated with worse performance in dynamic postural balance, as well as performance with TUG with and without cognitive tasks; however, there was no correlation between HGS and static balance. There was a moderate positive correlation between knee flexion/extension strength and HGS. This suggests that HGS could be used as a proxy indicator of overall strength capacity for clinical screening among older women.
| S-EPMC5983424 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study examined associations between muscle strength and mental health among 2,652 elderly Koreans who participated in the 2015 and 2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We measured absolute handgrip strength and calculated handgrip strength relative to body mass index. Dynapenia criteria followed that of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. Questionnaires were used to assess mental health indicators including suicidal ideation, depressed mood, and stress status. Among participants, 18.6%, 14.9%, and 6.7% reported stress, depressed mood, and suicidal ideation, respectively. Dynapenia prevalence was 25.1%. Adjusted odds ratios of stress, depressed mood, and suicidal ideation for men with dynapenia were 2.15, 2.30, and 2.11, respectively. Significant associations were absent among women. For men, handgrip strength and relative handgrip strength were inversely associated with risk of stress, depressed mood, and suicidal ideation. For women, handgrip strength and relative handgrip strength were inversely associated with the risk of stress, but not of depressed mood and suicidal ideation. In conclusion, all muscle-strength indices were associated with mental health risks among older men. In older women, low handgrip strength and relative handgrip strength were associated with increased stress. Muscle strength could be a clinical marker of poor mental health in older adults.
| S-EPMC7055305 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Handgrip strength (HGS) is a robust measure of overall muscular strength and function, and has long been predictive of a multitude of health factors and physical outcomes for both men and women. The fact that HGS represents such a ubiquitous measure of health and vitality may reflect the significance of this trait during human evolution. This trait is also highly sexually dimorphic due to influences of androgenic hormones and fat-free body mass, suggesting that it has been further elaborated through sexual selection. Consistent with this view, research within evolutionary psychology and related fields has documented distinct relationships between HGS and measures of social and sexual behavior, especially in men. Here, we review studies across different societies and cultural contexts showing that male HGS predicts measures of aggression and social dominance, perceived formidability, male-typical body morphology and movement, courtship display, physical attractiveness, and sexual behavior and reproductive fitness. These findings underscore the value of including HGS as an independent measure within studies examining human sexual selection, and corroborate existing research suggesting that specific features of physical strength have and continue to be under positive directional selection in men.
| S-EPMC5898311 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Pulmonary rehabilitation, including aerobic exercise and strength training, improves function, such as spirometric indices, in lung disease. However, we found spirometry did not correlate with physical activity (PA) in healthy adolescents (Smith ERJ: 42(4), 2016). To address whether muscle strength did, we measured these adolescents' handgrip strength and correlated it with spirometry.In 1846 non-smoking, non-asthmatic Germans (age 15.2 years, 47% male), we modeled spirometric indices as functions of handgrip strength by linear regression in each sex, corrected for factors including age, height, and lean body mass.Handgrip averaged 35.4 (SD 7.3) kg in boys, 26.6 (4.2) in girls. Spirometric volumes and flows increased linearly with handgrip. In boys each kg handgrip was associated with about 28 mL greater FEV1 and FVC; 60 mL/sec faster PEF; and 38 mL/sec faster FEF2575. Effects were 10-30% smaller in girls (all p<0.0001) and stable when Z-scores for spirometry and grip were modeled, after further correction for environment and/or other exposures, and consistent across stages of puberty.Grip strength was associated with spirometry in a cohort of healthy adolescents whose PA was not. Thus, research into PA's relationship with lung function should consider strength as well as total PA. Strength training may benefit healthy lungs; interventions are needed to prove causality.
| S-EPMC5894972 | biostudies-literature