Key pinch force in children.

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Human Physiology
• Developmental Biology

Background:

• Hand strength is crucial for daily activities.
• Understanding normative grip strength in children is important for development assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish normative key pinch force values in healthy children.
• To investigate the relationship between age and key pinch strength.
• To explore differences in grip strength between sexes and hands.

Main Methods:

• Key pinch force was measured in 262 healthy children aged 5 to 12 years.
• Data was collected on age, sex, and dominant/non-dominant hand grip strength.
• Statistical analysis was performed to identify correlations and significant differences.

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was found between age and key pinch strength.
• No significant differences in key pinch strength were observed between the left and right hands.
• No significant differences in key pinch strength were found between boys and girls.

Conclusions:

• Key pinch strength in children develops significantly with age.
• Sex and hand dominance do not appear to be significant factors in key pinch strength in this age group.
• These findings provide valuable reference data for pediatricians and researchers.