Effects of Gender and Hand Dominance on Children’s Capacity to Hang onto an Overhead Rung with One Hand

Abstract

Falls from playground equipment are a major cause of childhood injury and death. The purpose of this experiment was to quantify children’s maximum capacity to hang onto a rung and to determine how this strength varies for factors such as hand dominance and gender. Breakaway strength (a measure of the maximum capacity to hang onto a handhold) was measured for 130 children ages 5-11 on a 38.1mm diameter horizontal cylinder. Breakaway strength was significantly affected by hand dominance ( p=0.022) and gender ( p=0.015), with breakaway strength being greater for males and the dominant hand. Significant covariate predictors for breakaway strength included hand length and the interaction between gender and grip strength. Breakaway strength increased with grip strength and age, and more so for males than females. Breakaway strength normalized by bodyweight shows that female participants on average and young children (age 5) of both sexes could not support their bodyweight with one hand. The results suggest that playground handholds similar to the handhold tested here may not be suitable for all children.