Association of Handgrip Strength and Disability among Older People in the Central Province, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Disability among older people has become a public health concern. In Sri Lanka, disability among this age group is not well understood. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of disability and its association with handgrip strength among community-dwelling older people in the central province, Sri Lanka. In this cross sectional study, 227 participants were included. Basic activities of Daily living (BADL) were assessed using Barthel Index. Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) was used to determine activities of daily living. Older people with more than one item of ADL and five items of IADL were considered as dependent needing assistance. Handgrip strength (HGS) was assessed using Jamar hydraulic hand dynamometer. Descriptive statistics, mean and odds ratio were analysed. Mean age of the participants was 68.73 ±7.03 years. The mean BADL value was 97.36 (SD: 8.23). The mean score for IADL score was 2.11 (SD: 2.08). The OR of HGS with BADL dependency and IADL were 0.783 (95% CI: 0.714, 0.859) and 0.897 (95% CI: 0.861, 0.935) respectively. The OR of HGS with total dependency was 0.988 (95% CI: 0.943, 1.034). HGS had a protective effect on both BADL and IADL dependency. Therefore, it can be used as a predictor for both BADL and IADL dependencies.