Relative handgrip strength, nutritional status and abdominal obesity in Chilean adolescents
Date
2020-06
Type:
Article
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Abstract
Handgrip strength (HGS) is a well-established indicator of muscle strength and can help to
identify risk of sarcopenic obesity in children. This study explores the relationship between
adiposity and muscular strength in healthy Chilean adolescents. Adolescents (n = 491)
aged 10–17 were selected from five schools in Santiago, Chile. HGS was determined by
dynamometry. Anthropometry (weight, height, waist and mid arm circumference), physical
activity and socioeconomic status were also measured. Relative HGS (RHGS) was calculated
by dividing maximum HGS of the dominant hand by body-mass index (BMI) and low
RHGS was categorized as <25th percentile by sex. Logistic regression was used to determine
the relationship between two markers of adiposity (abdominal obesity category by
waist circumference and nutritional status measured by BMI category) and low RHGS,
adjusting for possible confounding variables. Participants were on average 13.6y (2.4),
32.8% were overweight or obese and 37.5% were at risk of or had abdominal obesity.
RHGS was 1.25 kg/kg/m2 overall, with a significant difference by sex (1.51 for boys versus
1.14 for girls). In adjusted analyses, boys and girls with risk of abdominal obesity, had 3.3
(1.6–6.6) and 4.1 (1.8–9.3) increased odds of low RHGS, respectively, compared to boys
and girls with normal waist circumference. Those with abdominal obesity compared to normal
WC, had 8.5 (3.4–21.4) and 6.5 (2.0–21.3) increased odds of low RHGS for boys and
girls, respectively. We observed similar associations for BMI category. In our sample of
healthy adolescents, higher adiposity related to greater odds of low muscle strength measured
by dynamometry. Considering the demographic shift from a young to an aging population
in many countries, along with the increasing prevalence of obesity beginning in
childhood, understanding how adiposity relates to low muscle strength is of growing
importance.
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Citation
PLoS ONE, 2020 june, vol.15(6): e0234316
Keywords
Adolescent, Nutrition Assessment, Nutritional status, Obesity, Risk factors