Hand Grip Strength is Associated With Body Sway Rate Among Older Adults With Intellectual Disability

The authors undertook a study to determine whether hand grip strength is associated with body sway rate among older adults with intellectual disability. They employed cross-sectional data from a nonrandomized controlled trial. Subjects were 16 older adults (8 females and 8 males; mean age 51.3 year) with mild-to-moderate intellectual disability residing in a supported living facility in Israel. Voluntary hand grip strength was measured isometrically using Jamar® hydraulic dynamometer, and body sway was assessed by Posture Scale Analyzer. Multivariate adjusted logistic regression model was used. Findings showed that hand grip strength in both arm flexed and extended was associated with body sway (-.608 to -.879), particularly among males. In females, the association was found only in eyes open condition, whereas in males it was found with both eyes closed and open. The authors concluded that hand grip strength was found to be negatively correlated with body sway rate and that low grip strength was associated with greater body sway. Low grip strength may be a rehabilitative impairment worthy of further investigation as a modifiable factor linked to sway rate among older adults with intellectual and developmental disability.