Summary of grip strength measurements obtained in the 2011-2012 and 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys

Study Design: Cross-sectional and descriptive study. Introduction: Supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) began collecting grip strength data from nationally representative samples in 2011. Purpose of the Study: To examine the stability of the grip strength values across 2 data release cycles and provide updated US population-based grip strength values for 6 to 80 year olds. Methods: Handgrip data from 13,676 participants aged 6-80 years were extracted from the NHANES 2011-2014 database. The muscle strength/grip test component measured the isometric grip strength using a Takei digital handgrip dynamometer (Takei Scientific Instruments, Shinagawa-Ku, Tokyo). Grip strength values (best of 3 trials for each hand) were summarized by gender, dominant side, and age group. Grip data from 2 data release cycles (2011-2012 vs 2013-2014) were compared. Results: Differences between 2 data release cycles were negligible. Hence, we summarize grip strength values across the entire 2011-2014 period. The mean grip strength ranged from 50.3 kg for the dominant hand of 30- to 34-year-old men to 10.0 kg for the nondominant hand of 6-year-old girls. Discussion: The summary data we present provide relatively current reference values to which tested individuals can be compared. However, clinicians and/or researchers should be aware that the instrumentation and procedures may influence the values. Conclusions: Results supported the stability of the NHANES grip strength values across data release cycles. (C) 2018 Hanley & Belfus, an imprint of Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.