Abstract
BackgroundEvidence on the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and handgrip strength (HGS) in later life was limited and inconclusive. We aimed to explore the impact of ACEs on HGS among middle-aged and older Chinese adults.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study with data extracted from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), a nationally representative survey with respondents recruited from 450 villages/urban communities of 28 provinces. Participants aged 45 years or older were drawn from the CHARLS 2014 life history survey and the 2015 health survey. Twelve ACE indicators before the age of 17 years were collected. HGS was measured with a dynamometer and the maximum value of HGS obtained from both hands was used in the analyses. Low muscle strength (LMS) was defined according to the recommendation of European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP). Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were constructed to evaluate the association of ACEs with continuous HGS and LMS, with adjustment for age, sex, marital status, ethnicity, area of residence, smoking and drinking status, body mass index, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, hip fracture, and memory-related disease.ResultsOf the 7209 eligible participants, 2258 (31.3%) had experienced three or more ACEs. Compared to individuals without ACEs, exposure to ≥ 3 ACEs was negatively associated with continuous HGS in kilogram (β = -0.93, 95% CI: -1.37, -0.49) and positively associated with the risk of LMS (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.61). Such associations were consistently found both in men and women who had experienced three or more ACEs. Significant dose–response relationship between the number of ACEs and outcomes was also observed in the overall population and different sex groups.ConclusionExposure to ACEs was associated with lower HGS and increased risk of LMS among middle-aged and older Chinese adults, indicating the importance of intervention in individuals with experience of ACEs in order to mitigate its detrimental impact on HGS and promote healthy ageing.
Highlights
As a reliable indicator to reflect muscle strength and muscle mass, handgrip strength (HGS) has been widely used to diagnose sarcopenia, a condition characterizedLin et al BMC Geriatrics (2022) 22:118 with gradual loss of muscle mass and strength [1]
Of the 7209 participants included in our analysis, 19.8% experienced no adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and 31.3% reported the experience of three or more ACEs (Table 1)
The prevalence of low muscle strength (LMS) increased in both sexes with the number of ACEs increased
Summary
As a reliable indicator to reflect muscle strength and muscle mass, handgrip strength (HGS) has been widely used to diagnose sarcopenia, a condition characterizedLin et al BMC Geriatrics (2022) 22:118 with gradual loss of muscle mass and strength [1]. A cross-sectional study of 24,179 adults aged between 50–96 years from the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) found that disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances in early life were associated with lower muscle strength in later life, especially in women [8]. A cross-sectional study of 3732 Chinese adults aged ≥ 65 years even showed that exposure to famine during childhood was not significantly associated with HGS in later life [17]. These limited and inconsistent findings suggested the need for further studies. We aimed to explore the impact of ACEs on HGS among middle-aged and older Chinese adults
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
