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Normative reference values of the handgrip strength for the Portuguese workers.

Normative reference values of the handgrip strength for the Portuguese workers.

Authors :
Sarah Moreira Fernandes Bernardes
Ana Assunção
Carlos Fujão
Filomena Carnide
Source :
PLoS ONE, Vol 15, Iss 8, p e0236555 (2020)
Publication Year :
2020
Publisher :
Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2020.

Abstract

IntroductionThe active workforce is increasingly aging. However workload, as well as working time and intensity, sometimes remains unchanged. This can be an even more critical situation in older people, since occupational exposure associated with aging, will further reduce the muscle's ability to generate energy, which in turn facilitates the development of these age-related syndromes. This study aims to identify the normative values of handgrip strength for Portuguese workers in the automotive industry.MethodsAbout 1225 employees were invited to participate in the study. The final sample consisted of 656 employees in the assembly area. The handgrip strength was measured in kilograms (kg) using the Jamar digital dynamometer. Sex-specific profiles of handgrip strength were designed by the Ordinary Least Square regression (OLS) analysis, where height, age, age squared, and height squared are entered into the models as determining factors of the maximum grip strength in both female and male groups.ResultsThe peak mean values of handgrip strength in the group of women was 34 kg in the age group of 35-39 years, and in the group of men the peak mean was 52 kg in the age group of 25-34 years. The most pronounced decline in the female group appears in the age of 30-34 years of about 4 kg and the male group the decline occurs at 2kg below the peak force, in the age group of 40-57 year-olds. This study used a cut-off at 2 SD below by the sex-specific peak mean.ConclusionNormative values can help delineate the career path of workers because they portray risk values according to age, height, and gender. The normative values assist health and engineering professionals and ergonomists in adjusting task demands to the morphological and strength characteristics of the workers.

Subjects

Subjects :
Medicine
Science

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
19326203
Volume :
15
Issue :
8
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
PLoS ONE
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.b2650de8e074453c8147a19fa9614ffb
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236555