Is handgrip strength a useful tool to detect slow walking speed in older Indian adults: A cross-sectional study among geriatric outpatients in a tertiary care hospital in South India

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether handgrip strength can be used as a proxy for detecting slow walking speed in older adults. Measuring walking speed in older adults can be challenging as cognitive and functional decline may have a significant impact on test performance. METHODS: Hundred subjects aged >/= 60 were recruited. Slow walking speed was defined as walking speed <1.0 m/s. Handgrip strength was measured using handheld dynamometer. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between the two. RESULTS: The mean age of the study participants was 67.8±6.2 years. There were 63 males and 37 females. The mean handgrip strength of the participants was 23±5.9 kgs. Older subjects had slow gait speed (r=-0.40, p<0.001) while patients with higher BMI (r=0.36, p<0.001), handgrip strength (r=0.72, p<0.001) and appendicular lean mass (r=0.53, p<0.001) had normal gait speed. On multiple linear regression analysis, only handgrip strength (OR 0.71; 95% CI 0.58-0.87, p=0.001) and nutritional status (OR 8.60; 95% CI 1.98 - 37.40, p=0.004) were found to have a significant association with walking speed. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that handgrip strength assessment can be used as a surrogate indicator for detecting slow walking speed. Large population studies are warranted to examine its validity.