%0 Journal Article
%T Could Questions on Activities of Daily Living Estimate Grip Strength of Older Adults Living Independently in the Community?
%A Jessica Simard
%A Maude Chalifoux
%A V¨¦ronique Fortin
%A Maude Jeanson Archambault
%A Anne St-Cerny-Gosselin
%A Johanne Desrosiers
%J Journal of Aging Research
%D 2012
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2012/427109
%X The aim of this study was to identify questions that could estimate grip strength. Twenty-six questions about the degree of perceived difficulty performing manual tasks as well as two questions concerning self-rated grip strength were developed and completed by 123 community-dwelling older adults, followed by grip strength measurements using a Martin vigorimeter. Multiple regression analyses with all of the participants revealed that the question about the difficulty of opening a jar (question 4) was most associated with grip strength. When analyses were done by gender, the same question showed the best correlation for women, whereas the one for men was self-rated grip strength compared with people the same age (question 28). For the women, age and question 4 together explained 54% of the variance in their grip strength and for the men, age and question 28 explained 46%. Further studies are needed to identify other information that could help to better estimate grip strength for use in epidemiological surveys. 1. Introduction Many older adults have to deal with disabilities in mobility, activities of daily living (ADL), or instrumental ADL [1]. Among other impairments, decrease in grip strength may be related to these aging-related disabilities. Grip strength is often used as an indicator of general muscle strength and is a good estimate of upper limb strength [2]. It is an easily measurable variable [3, 4] and a good indicator of frailty and future disability [5¨C7]. Sufficient grip strength is necessary to perform many ADLs and may be indicative of functional independence [8]. Using a dynamometer is the best way to measure grip strength. No other valid objective method is currently available. Therefore, grip strength measurements cannot be included in large epidemiological studies, which are frequently conducted by phone or mail questionnaires. These questionnaires present many advantages when compared to face-to-face interviews. They are cheaper, they do not require specialized equipment, they take less time, and they overcome difficulties related to population geography. Therefore, the development of an alternative to direct measurement of grip strength could allow an estimated measure to be included in population-based surveys on aging and activity limitations. Adding grip strength estimation to such surveys could help to appraise the vulnerability of the older population with the aim of promoting health and implementing preventive strategies as well as organizing and planning services to address these population¡¯s needs [9]. The objective of the
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jar/2012/427109/