Spanish Title: Fuerza de agarre en trabajadores sanos.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the grip strength in a sample of healthy workers in Manizales and evaluate possible associations with age, gender, occupation, and dominance. Participants: 199 healthy workers (39.8 ± 11.5 years); 53.8% female. The strength was measured by triplicate with a Jamar dynamometer, the natural logarithm (ln) of the averaged output variable. As explanatory variables included gender, age, occupation, and dominance. For the bivariate analysis test was used Wilcoxonsign rank. The associations were evaluated using simple linear models and multiple regression to estimate regression coefficients (β) and its standard error. Significance level α = 0.05. There was a difference of3.52 kg / FZA (95% CI 2.9, 4.1) for the strength of the right hand compared with the left. The gender difference was 9.17 kg / FZA (95% CI 6.5, 11.8) and 11.4 Kg / FZA (95% CI 9.04, 13.7) for right and left, respectively, both in favor of men. Multiple regression analysis showed significant coefficients (p<0.0001) for males (β = 0.39 and 0.31) in the ln of the strength of the left and right hands, respectively. There was a significant trend (p <0.0001) to decreased ln strength for each year of increasing age in both hands (β -0.010). There were no associations with occupation nor with dominance. These results show changes in grip strength associated with age and gender.

Key-words: Strength, handgrip, dynamometry, evaluation