Prediction of hand grip strength using anthropometric indicators among older adults: Evidence from LASI data

Hand grip strength is a crucial indicator to determine the health status, muscle strength, and physical fitness of older people. The present study evaluates the association between hand grip strength and anthropometric variables among older Indians. Also, this study determines the best anthropometric marker to identify the risk of weak hand grip strength.

The present study uses the 2017-2019 national-level longitudinal aging study in India data. Overall, 24506 older adults (11914 males and 12592 females) aged above 60 years in the present study. We employed statistical methods such as Cramer's V test, t-test, F test, Pearson correlation, and multivariate linear regression.

The study revealed that participants with weak hand grip strength had a 25.2 % overall, but all anthropometric indicators mean value increased with increasing hand grip strength from weak to normal grip strength. Increasing age also increases the prevalence of weak hand grip strength (16.6 %-54.7 %), with non-obese individuals having a significantly higher prevalence of weak hand grip strength compared to obese individuals. The linear regression model reveals that increasing height, higher weight, body mass index, fat mass and fat free mass ratio, waist height ratio, and conicity index positively affect hand grip strength, while older age, higher percentage of body fat, fat mass index, waist circumference, waist hip ratio and body adiposity index negatively affect hand grip strength.

Body mass index from general obesity and waist circumference from central obesity are the best predictors of weak hand grip strength in both sexes.