Handgrip strength in English schoolchildren

Area of Science:

• Pediatric physiology
• Biometrics
• Anthropometry

Background:

• Establishing normative data for physical parameters like handgrip strength is crucial for assessing child development and identifying potential health or performance issues.
• Previous research has provided some data on handgrip strength in children, but specific, up-to-date reference data for English schoolchildren is needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine age- and gender-specific patterns of handgrip strength in English schoolchildren.
• To generate reference data for handgrip strength in this population.
• To compare findings with existing European data.

Main Methods:

• Handgrip strength was measured in 7147 English schoolchildren (ages 10-15.9 years) using a portable dynamometer.
• Centile data were generated using Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape.
• Z-scores were calculated using existing European data, and age-gender interactions were analyzed via ANCOVA.

Main Results:

• Handgrip strength significantly increased with age in both boys and girls (p < 0.001).
• Boys exhibited significantly higher handgrip strength than girls across all age groups (p < 0.001).
• The rate of increase in handgrip strength with age was significantly greater in boys than in girls (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• This study provides valuable reference data for handgrip strength in English schoolchildren.
• Adjusted for mass and stature, the handgrip strength of English children aligns with existing European data.
• These reference data can aid in the clinical and athletic screening for identifying low or high handgrip strength in this demographic.