Hand grip strength and physical activity level in university students from Uruapan Michoacan, Mexico

Introduction: Manual dynamometry (DM) is a parameter that measures the maximum static muscle strength, reflects the lean component, the mineral content of the bones and serves as an estimator of the physical condition and nutritional status of an individual(1,2). Dynamometry (D) is an economical, fast, easy to perform and reproduce technique(3). It can be used as a general health indicator, cardiometabolic predictor(4-6), nutritional status and complementary prognostic tool for muscle quality(3,7,8). Objective: to determine the relationship of the grip strength and the level of physical activity in the students of a university in Mexico. Method: The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), the handling of the tension force of the right hand in triplicate, the hand dynamometer, as well as the measurement of weight and height, were carried out in undergraduate students. in nutrition. The descriptive and comparative statistics were performed with the SPSS 25 software. Results: A total of 172 university students, 44 men and 128 women were evaluated, representing 26% and 74% of the sample respectively. In the group of male university students, there is a greater grip strength in contrast to the group of university students. The frequency of the different levels of physical activity was significantly different between men and women, with women having a higher frequency of moderate physical activity compared to men and a lower frequency of low physical activity level. Conclusions: The data suggest that, although the strength parameter in both sexes is within the normal range, in the evaluation of the international questionnaire for physical activity (IPAQ), more than a third of the population evaluated has a low or No level of physical activity, which implies in the development of functional and metabolic complications in later life.