Handgrip strength and associated factors among Brazilian adolescents: A cross-sectional study

Association between handgrip strength and muscle mass in children 6 to 10 years old

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.

Positive secular trend in excess body weight in adolescents: A comparative study of 2007 and 2017/2018 data

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to compare the prevalence of excess weight in adolescents living in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, from 2007 to 2017/2018 and assess associations with physical activity level, screen time, muscle strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness.

METHODS

Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted with adolescents (14 to 19 years old). The body mass index was calculated from measurements of body weight (kg) and height (m2). Information on sociodemographic variables (sex, age, and economic level), screen time, and physical activity was collected using questionnaires. Motor tests were used to measure cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength.

RESULTS

A positive secular trend in excess weight was observed in adolescents between 2017/2018 and 2007. Boys who spent more than 4h a day on screen-based activities and those with inadequate cardiorespiratory fitness were 1.96 and 3.03 times more likely, respectively, to have excess weight in 2017/2018 than in 2007. Boys (OR = 1.77) and girls (OR = 1.74) with inadequate muscle strength were more likely to have excess weight in 2017/2018 than their peers in 2007. Furthermore, boys and girls with adequate cardiorespiratory fitness had 64% and 90% lower chances, respectively, of having excess weight in 2017/2018 than in 2007.

CONCLUSIONS

A decade of observation revealed a positive secular trend in excess weight in adolescents, with significant associations with muscle strength, cardiorespiratory fitness, and screen time.

Mediation effects of lean mass and fat mass on the relationship between body mass index and handgrip strength

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the mediation effects of lean mass and fat mass on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and handgrip strength (HGS) in adolescents.

METHOD

The sample included 118 adolescents (60 girls) aged 10-14 years. Body composition, determined from lean mass (LM) and fat mass (FM), was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. HGS was measured using a digital dynamometer. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and sexual maturation, treated as covariates, were evaluated by accelerometry and pubic hair development, respectively. Spearman correlation and simple mediation analysis were used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

A positive relationship was observed between BMI and HGS (rho = .364, p < .001), BMI and LM (rho = .466, p < .001), LM and HGS (rho = .784, p < .001), BMI and FM (rho = .907, p < .001), and FM and HGS (rho = .291, p = .001). LM was the only significant mediator of the relationship between BMI and HGS.

CONCLUSION

Only LM mediated the association between BMI and HGS, almost entirely explaining the relationship. The findings reinforce the need to include LM measurements in routine strength testing. Furthermore, strategies focused on LM development may be promising in preventing low muscle strength in adolescents.

FANTASTIC lifestyle questionnaire from 1983 until 2022: A review

Background

Studying lifestyles has always been important; quantifying them has become more complex. However, a questionnaire produced in 1983 has shown that its simple form of evaluation can be an added value in understanding lifestyles. Our aim is a systematic review of the scientific literature about the use of the FANTASTIC Lifestyle questionnaire (FLQ).

Methods

The reflective systematic literature review on PubMed, Medline, Science Direct, and SCIELO databases with the descriptors "FANTASTIC Lifestyle questionnaire" OR "FANTASTICO questionnaire" OR "FANTASTIC questionnaire" OR "FANTASTIC survey" OR "FANTASTIC checklist". PRISMA criteria reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses were applied. The inclusion criteria were the use of FLQ instrument to measure lifestyles, presenting quantitative or qualitative results, and psychometric studies. It excluded other lifestyle instruments, incomplete articles, and non-English, Brazilian, Spanish, and Portuguese language articles.

Results

Findings reveal 41 scientific articles included in the study. It analyzed the results and most studies use the instrument to assess all dimensions. However, some studies reported assessing specific dimensions such as nutrition, sleep, stress, tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. The questionnaire has been applied to a wide range of ages and literacy levels.

Conclusion

This literature review allowed us to conclude that this questionnaire is still in use today and is applied in several contexts and populations. It is also possible to verify the relevance of its use and to design intervention strategies and programs for a healthy society. It is essential to draw attention to this issue and promote health literacy (HL) on this topic.

Handgrip Strength-Related Factors in a Colombian Hypertensive Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

(1) Background: This study determined the factors associated with manual grip strength in people with high blood pressure (HBP); (2) Methods: 219 subjects participated in this cross-sectional study, which evaluated muscle strength (manual dynamometer), sociodemographic factors, clinical characteristics, level of physical activity (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-IPAQ score), and depression (Zung's Depression Self-Rating Scale); (3) Results: The bivariate analysis found that handgrip strength in people with HPB was associated with sex (p = 0.000), age (p = 0.000), ethnicity (p = 0.019), smoking habits (p = 0.037), alcohol consumption (p = 0.004), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.012), weight (p = 0.000), height (p = 0.000), measurement of waist circumference (p = 0.002), depression (p = 0.041), and IPAQ score (p = 0.000). Regardless of being male or female, handgrip strength was associated with age (p = 0.009), IPAQ (p = 0.000), weight (p = 0.038), height (p = 0.000), DPB units (p = 0.043), and depression (p = 0.020). The multivariate generalized linear gamma regression model showed that the coefficient with the greatest weight, regardless of sex, was age (p = 0.043), level of physical activity (24% more at high level than at low level, p = 0.031), and depression (moderate/severe depression level) associated with lower handgrip strength (p = 0.025); (4) Conclusions: Handgrip strength showed an association with level of physical activity, age, and level of depression in a middle-aged population with HBP.

The Relationship between Body Composition and Physical Fitness and the Effect of Exercise According to the Level of Childhood Obesity Using the MGPA Model

Childhood obesity can lead to adulthood obesity with adverse effects. Since body composition and physical fitness differ depending on the obesity degree, a systemic analysis could help classify that degree. We used three study designs based on the obesity degree (body mass index [BMI] as a reference) for our objectives. First, we identified the relationship between body composition and physical fitness. Second, we determined the effects of exercise on body composition and physical fitness. Third, we performed a path analysis of the impact of exercise on body composition and physical fitness, and verified those effects among the groups. In study 1, 164 10-year-old subjects were divided into four groups: 33 in the normal weight (NO), 34 in overweight (OV), 54 in obesity (OB), and 43 in the severe obesity (SOB) group. In study 2, 101 participants from study 1 who wished to participate in the exercise program were divided into four groups (same criteria). The exercise program (three times a week for 60 min, for 16 weeks) consisted of sports and reinforcement exercises of increasing intensity. Body composition was measured by body weight, percentage of body fat (%BF), muscle mass, skeletal muscle mass (SMM), and body mass index (BMI). In contrast, physical fitness was measured by muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, agility, and balance. As a result, all body composition variables were higher in the SOB group than in the other groups. Physical fitness, muscular strength and balance, and agility were highest in the SOB, NO, and OV groups, respectively. Pearson's correlation revealed that muscular strength was associated with height and body weight across all groups. Agility showed a negative correlation with %BF in the NO, OB, and SOB groups. SMM was positively correlated in the OB and SOB groups. After the exercise intervention, BMI and the %BF of the SOB group were significantly reduced (p < 0.01, and p < 0.001, respectively), while SMM presented a significant increase (p < 0.001). Height also showed a significant increase in all groups (p < 0.001). Among physical fitness variables, muscular strength, flexibility, muscular endurance, and balance showed a significant increase in all groups, while a significant increase in power was observed in only the OB and SOB groups. As for the effects of the body composition on physical fitness after exercise intervention, the greatest impact was observed for balance, muscular strength and agility, and muscular endurance in NO, OV, and OB groups, respectively. In conclusion, the body composition, physical fitness relationship, and the effects of exercise intervention on them differed depending on the obesity degree. Furthermore, the results varied according to the obesity degree. Thus, our study highlights the importance of creating particular exercise programs for the effective prevention and treatment of childhood obesity considering the obesity degree.