ANTHROPOMETRIC STUDY OF HANDGRIP STRENGTH IN HANDRELATED AND NON-HAND-RELATED ATHLETES IN KWARA, NIGERIA

Abstract

Handgrip strength (HGS) is considered an essential marker of an individual's physical strength throughout life, especially of the upper limb and fine motor function. HGS is influenced by basic anthropometric determinants such as age, stature, and gender. The information about the differences in these anthropometric parameters in athletes as compared to non-athletes and the consequent influence on HGS is scarce. Investigations of the association between involvement in hand-related and non-hand-related sporting activities among different age groups of both sexes with HGS, particularly in a developing nation like Nigeria are scarce. This study aimed to investigate how anthropometric parameters of age, height, weight, and body mass index (BMI), affect handgrip strength and their association with sport-related parameters. A crosssectional study was conducted on 370 healthy Nigerians aged 17-40 years, from sports centres in Kwara state. Subjects were grouped into hand-athletes, non-hand-athletes, and a control group of non-athletes. A questionnaire was administered to get their biodata, while measurements of HGS(lbs); using a dynamometer, height(m), weight(kg), and BMI(kg/m2) were taken. HGS of hand-related athletes was significantly greater than the non-hand athletes and non-athletes. No significant difference was observed between the non-hand athletes and non-athletes. HGS of the non-sportsmen was significantly correlated with age, height, weight, and BMI, however, there were no significant correlations for non-sportswomen. HGS of the non-hand-sportsmen was significantly correlated with age, weight, and BMI, but not with height, while only BMI was significantly correlated for non-hand-sportswomen. HGS of both hand-sportsmen and hand sportswomen were significantly correlated with weight and BMI, however, age and height showed no significant correlation. A strong positive correlation exists between HGS and anthropometric parameters of weight and BMI in relation to hand-related sporting activities in both sexes, but not with age and height.