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[Hand grip strength in a sample of 11 to 14 years old children]
Helena Carreira1, Teresa F Amaral, Carmen Brás-Silva
1Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação, Universidade do Porto, Porto.
Insights
Hand grip strength in children aged 11-14 is higher in boys and correlates with age, height, and weight. These findings aid in assessing upper limb function and general health in pediatric populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Human Physiology
- Biometrics
Background:
- Hand grip strength is a key indicator of upper limb integrity and overall health.
- Understanding normative grip strength in children is crucial for diagnosing conditions affecting motor function.
- This study focuses on children aged 11-14 years.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish average hand grip strength values for children aged 11-14.
- To analyze the relationship between hand grip strength, age, height, and weight in this demographic.
- To provide normative data for pediatric research and clinical assessment.
Main Methods:
- A convenience sample of 195 children (ages 11-14) participated.
- Hand grip strength was measured using the Jamar Hydraulic Hand dynamometer.
- Data were collected on participants' age, gender, height, and weight.
Main Results:
- Boys exhibited significantly higher hand grip strength compared to girls.
- Moderate positive correlations were observed between grip strength and age (R=0.679), height (R=0.691), and weight (R=0.620).
- All correlations were statistically significant (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- The study provides normative hand grip strength data for Portuguese children aged 11-14.
- Hand grip strength in this age group is significantly associated with height and weight.
- These findings contribute valuable reference data for pediatric health assessments.
Introduction:
The determination of hand grip strength is an objective method of evaluation of upper members' integrity. It is also used as a general health indicator. Data about grip strength values in healthy children is useful in the research and diagnosis of diseases that interfere with grip force. The aim of this study was to determine average values of children hand grip strength by age and evaluate its relation with weight and height.
Material And Methods:
Hand grip strength was measured with the dynamometer Jamar Hydraulic Hand in a convenience sample of 195 children of either gender, with ages between 11 and 14 years old.
Results:
Statistical significant differences were observed in hand grip strength between genders, being higher in boys. Moderate correlations were found between grip strength and age (R = 0.679, p < 0.001), height (R = 0.691, p < 0.001), and weight (R = 0.620, p < 0.001).
Conclusion:
The present study presents values of hand grip strength obtained from a sample of Portuguese children of 11 to 14 years old, which are directly associated with height and weight.
