Arm muscle area is correlated to handgrip strength in postmenopausal women

• Main Authors: Ludwig R. Álvarez-Córdova (Author), Reyes Artacho (Author), Peter Chedraui (Author), Cecilia Arteaga-Pazmiño (Author), Melissa Sánchez-Briones (Author), María D. Ruiz-López (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group, 2024-12-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Objective To analyze the correlation between arm muscle area and handgrip strength among postmenopausal community dwelling low-income women in order to provide an easy anthropometric indicator to assess muscle mass quantity and quality.Methods This was a cross-sectional study involving postmenopausal women (n = 171) from three urban-marginal communities of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Corrected arm muscle area was calculated using the Frisancho formula. Dynapenia was defined as HGS < 16 kg. Spearman's correlation coefficient was calculated at a 5% significance level to test the correlation between corrected arm muscle area and handgrip strength.Results Median (interquartile range: IQR) age of the sample was 72.0 years (17.0). The median of corrected arm muscle area was 34.8 cm2 (20.7). The overall prevalence of dynapenia was 57.9% (n = 99). There was a significant decreasing trend with age regarding all anthropometric characteristics and handgrip strength, as well as a higher prevalence of dynapenia with age. For the whole sample, a statistically significant positive correlation was found between corrected arm muscle area and handgrip strength [r = 0.267; p < .001].Conclusion:  There was a significant yet weak positive correlation between corrected arm muscle area and handgrip strength in this postmenopausal sample. There is a need for additional research in this regard.

Item Description

10.1080/09513590.2024.2420937
1473-0766
0951-3590