Gynecol Endocrinol. 2024 Dec;40(1):2420937. doi: 10.1080/09513590.2024.2420937. Epub 2024 Nov 1.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the correlation between arm muscle area and handgrip strength among postmenopausal community dwelling low-income women in order to provide an easy anthropometric indicator to assess muscle mass quantity and quality.
METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving postmenopausal women (n = 171) from three urban-marginal communities of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Corrected arm muscle area was calculated using the Frisancho formula. Dynapenia was defined as HGS < 16 kg. Spearman’s correlation coefficient was calculated at a 5% significance level to test the correlation between corrected arm muscle area and handgrip strength.
RESULTS: Median (interquartile range: IQR) age of the sample was 72.0 years (17.0). The median of corrected arm muscle area was 34.8 cm2 (20.7). The overall prevalence of dynapenia was 57.9% (n = 99). There was a significant decreasing trend with age regarding all anthropometric characteristics and handgrip strength, as well as a higher prevalence of dynapenia with age. For the whole sample, a statistically significant positive correlation was found between corrected arm muscle area and handgrip strength [r = 0.267; p < .001].
There was a significant yet weak positive correlation between corrected arm muscle area and handgrip strength in this postmenopausal sample. There is a need for additional research in this regard.
PMID:39485331 | DOI:10.1080/09513590.2024.2420937
