Normative reference values of the handgrip strength for the Portuguese workers

Abstract

ABSTRACTAimThis study aims to identify the normative values of handgrip strength for Portuguese workers in the automotive industry.MethodsAbout 1225 employees were invited to participate in the study. The final sample consisted of 656 employees in the assembly area. The handgrip strength was measured in kilograms (kg) using the Jamar digital dynamometer. Two measurements were performed in both hands, totaling four measurements. For the present study, the maximum value was recorded regardless of the hand.Resultsshowed the peak mean values of handgrip strength in the group of women was 34 kg in the age group of 35-39 years, and the group of men the peak mean was 52 kg in the age group of 25-34 years. The most pronounced decline in the female group appears in the age of 30-34 years with 30 kg and the men group the decline occurs of 2kg below the peak force, in the age group between the 40-57 years. This study used a cut-off at 2 SD below by the sex-specific peak mean.ConclusionNormative values can help delineate the career path of workers because they portray risk values according to age, height, and gender. And they can also help in adjusting the morphological and strength characteristics of the worker with the task to be performed, as an example of work above head level.Key MessagesThe handgrip strength is a general indicator of muscle strength, in addition to being closely related to cardiovascular and nutritional diseases. Also, this measure is one of the keys to defining sarcopenia.One of the main findings of the study was found in the group of women aged 30-34 years, with a significant decline in handgrip strength compared to other age groups. Furthermore, the present study, established for the first time, normative values for the handgrip strength of Portuguese workers in the automotive industry.The handgrip strength decline is a crucial predictor of frailty syndrome, and sarcopenia can be checked by the occupational medicine department, individually, by the risk threshold outcomes presents in this study. Also, it is possible to design the conditions work processes associated with the predictive values of HG2 and HG5 and the implementation of the workers’ clinical surveillance system through periodic tests of handgrip strength.