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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Handgrip strength among nonagenarians and centenarians in three European regions | | Author(s) | Bernard Jeune, Axel Skytthe, Amandine Cournil |
| Journal title | Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, vol 61A, no 7, July 2006 |
| Pages | pp 707-712 |
| Source | http://www.geron.org |
| Keywords | Physical capacity ; Musculoskeletal systems ; Nonagenarians ; Centenarians ; France ; Denmark ; Italy. |
| Annotation | Handgrip strength is an important predictor of disability and mortality in older people. In this sub-study of the European Challenge for Healthy Ageing project, only the long-lived probands were included. The maximum value of three measurements of handgrip strength was selected for the analysis. Among 598 very old people (median age 98), a clear north-south gradient was observed. For men, handgrip strength dropped (from 24.2kg in southern Denmark to 20.8kg in Languedoc-Roussillon, France, and 14.2kg in Calabria, Italy), whereas for women the drop was smaller (from 12.2 to 9.2kg). The difference remains significant after adjustment for age, gender, housing, knee height, activity of daily living (ADL) scale score, score on the 6-item Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), chair stand, and number of age-related diseases, although these factors explain two-thirds of the variation in handgrip strength. The significant differences found in handgrip strength in nonagenarians and centenarians in three European regions may be due to population background differences (e.g. genetic variations, birth weight, childhood growth) and to socio-cultural differences (e.g. lifestyle and healthcare). (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-070504239 A |
| Classmark | BI: BK6: BBR: BBT: 765: 76K: 76V |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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