Social patterning in grip strength and in its association with age; a cross sectional analysis using the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS)

Caroline Carney,Michaela Benzeval

doi:10.1186/s12889-018-5316-x

Abstract

BackgroundGrip strength in early adulthood and midlife is an important predictor of disability, morbidity and mortality in later life. Understanding social patterning in grip strength at different life stages could improve insight into inequalities in age-related decline and when in the life course interventions could prevent the emergence of inequalities.MethodsUsing United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) data on 19,292 people aged 16 to 99, fractional polynomial models were fitted to identify which function of age best described its association with grip strength. Linear regressions were used to establish whether socio-economic position (SEP), as measured by maternal education, highest educational qualification and income, was associated with grip strength. To test whether the association between age and grip strength was modified by SEP, interactions between SEP and the age terms were added. Differentiation was used to identify the age at which grip strength was highest for men and women and predicted levels of grip strength at peak were compared.ResultsSEP is significantly associated with grip strength on all SEP measures, except education for men. Grip strength is highest at a younger age, and less strong for all measures of disadvantage for women and most measures for men. Interaction terms were not statistically significant indicating that the association between age and grip strength was not modified by SEP. Grip strength peak was 29.3 kg at age 33 for women with disadvantaged childhood SEP compared with 30.2 kg at age 35 for women with advantaged childhood SEP.ConclusionThe SEP differences in age and level of peak grip strength could be indicative of decline in muscle strength beginning earlier and from a lower base for disadvantaged groups. This could impact on the capacity for healthy ageing for those with disadvantaged SEP.

Highlights

Grip strength in early adulthood and midlife is an important predictor of disability, morbidity and mortality in later life
It is hypothesised that socioeconomic position (SEP) is associated with grip strength and affects the age and level at which it peaks due to socially patterned development in utero, growth in Carney and Benzeval BMC Public Health (2018) 18:385 childhood and later adult health behaviours
Linear regressions were used to establish whether each SEP measure was associated with grip strength with adjustment for the age terms specified by the fractional polynomial

Summary

Introduction

Grip strength in early adulthood and midlife is an important predictor of disability, morbidity and mortality in later life. Studies where grip strength was measured in early adulthood and midlife have found that it is predictive of disability, morbidity and all cause and cardiovascular mortality in later life [2,3,4,5,6]. It is hypothesised that socioeconomic position (SEP) is associated with grip strength and affects the age and level at which it peaks due to socially patterned development in utero, growth in Carney and Benzeval BMC Public Health (2018) 18:385 childhood and later adult health behaviours. Growth in childhood and adolescence is known to be associated with grip strength [21] and is hypothesised to be socially patterned likewise through material resources and diet. As physical activity is socially patterned [25], it is proposed here that grip strength is affected by adult SEP

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