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Association between handgrip strength and muscle mass in children 6 to 10 years old
Samantha Velazquez-Villalobos1, James D LeCheminant1, Ryan Rasmussen2
1Brigham Young University, Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science Department, Provo, UT 84602, USA.
Insights
Handgrip strength (HGS) correlates with muscle mass in children aged 6-10 years. Combining HGS with Body Mass Index (BMI) offers a practical way to assess pediatric body composition and identify potential muscle mass changes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Human Physiology
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Sarcopenia, characterized by muscle mass and function loss, is increasingly observed in children, especially those with obesity.
- Accurate body composition assessment methods like DEXA are resource-intensive for routine clinical use.
- Handgrip strength (HGS) presents a potential, practical alternative for evaluating muscle mass in pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between handgrip strength (HGS) and various measures of muscle mass in children aged 6-10 years.
- To determine if HGS can serve as a reliable indicator of muscle mass in this age group.
- To explore the predictive value of HGS for body composition in children.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study included 110 children aged 6-10 years without puberty or disabilities affecting strength.
- Measurements included height, weight, mid-upper arm circumference, lean body mass (LBM), fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and bone mineral density (BMD).
- Pearson correlations and stepwise analysis were used to assess the relationship between HGS and body composition metrics.
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation was found between HGS and fat-free mass index (FFMI) in children aged 6-10 years (R=0.39, p<0.001).
- HGS also correlated significantly with lean body mass index (LBMI) in children aged 8-10 years (R=0.42, p=0.005).
- Body Mass Index (BMI) combined with HGS emerged as the strongest predictors for both FFMI and LBMI.
Conclusions:
- Handgrip strength (HGS) is significantly associated with muscle mass indicators (FFMI, LBMI) in children aged 6-10 years.
- HGS shows promise as a tool for assessing body composition and monitoring muscle mass changes in pediatric populations.
- Integrating HGS and BMI into routine clinical practice can facilitate a more comprehensive evaluation of children's body composition.
Background And Aims:
Sarcopenia, defined as a muscle mass loss and function, is increasingly recognized in pediatric populations, particularly in childhood obesity. Therefore, it is necessary to have measurements that can distinguish between muscle and fat mass. Methods of body composition such as Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) provide accurate assessments of body composition, but they are resource-intensive and impractical for routine monitoring in clinical or community settings. To address this, handgrip strength (HGS) may be used for assessing muscle mass. This study investigates the association between muscle mass and HGS in children aged 6-10 years.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study of 110 participants was conducted with children aged 6-10 years who could follow instructions in English, lay still for 6-7 min, and had not entered puberty. Children with disabilities that affected muscle mass or hand strength were excluded. Height, weight, mid-upper arm circumference, lean body mass (LBM), fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM), and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured. Pearson correlations between all body composition measurements and HGS were conducted. The best predictors of muscle mass were determined using stepwise analysis.
Results:
A significant correlation between HGS and fat-free mass index (FFMI) (R = 0.39) (p < 0.001) among children aged 6-10 years and lean body mass index (LBMI) (R = 0.42) (p = 0.005) in children aged 8-10 years old was found. HGS with BMI (p < 0.0001) were the best predictors of FFMI and LBMI.
Conclusion:
HGS was associated with muscle mass and may provide insight on body composition changes in children. Integrating HGS with BMI into routine clinical practice could enhance comprehensive evaluation of body composition.
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