ArticleEuropean geriatric medicine2019
The recent secular trend in grip strength among older adults: findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
Article in European geriatric medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- International norms for adult handgrip strength: A systematic review of data on 2.4 million adults aged 20 to 100+ years from 69 countries and regions.Journal of sport and health science · 2025Pooled it
- Temporal Trends in the Handgrip Strength of 2,592,714 Adults from 14 Countries Between 1960 and 2017: A Systematic Analysis.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2020Pooled it
- Changes in impaired physical function in older adults and the influences of physical activity: a population-based cohort study.BMC geriatrics · 2026Article
- Asian Reference Values for Handgrip Strength, Gait Speed, Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand Test, Muscle Mass and Calf Circumference.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2026Article
- Temporal Trends in Handgrip Strength and Associated Factors among Korean Adults from 2014 to 2019: Analysis of Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data.Clinics in orthopedic surgery · 2025Article
- Secular trends in grip strength among Korean adults according to socioeconomic factors: the 2014-2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Epidemiology and health · 2025Article
- Handgrip Strength has Declined Among Adults, Particularly Males, from Shanghai Since 2000.Sports medicine - open · 2024Article
- Lifetime body mass index and grip strength at age 46 years: the 1970 British Cohort Study.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2022Article
- Getting a Grip on Secular Changes: Age-Period-Cohort Modeling of Grip Strength in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2022Article
- Risk Factors for Hospital Admission After a Fall: A Prospective Cohort Study of Community-Dwelling Older People.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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Abstract
purposeWeaker grip strength in older adults is associated with adverse health outcomes and is a key component of sarcopenia. The secular trend of grip strength is, therefore, relevant in the setting of ageing populations. A recent study suggested differences in this trend among countries in mainland Europe. We used data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) to investigate the recent secular trend of older English adults.
methodsWe used data on participants aged 50-89 having their first measurement of grip strength in waves 2 (2002/2003), 4 (2008/2009) or 6 (2012/2013) of ELSA. Grip was measured using a Smedley dynamometer. We expressed grip values as Z-scores (number of standard deviations above the age and gender mean from normative data) for use in linear regression analyses examining the annual secular trend after adjustment for potential confounders.
resultsWe included a total of 11,476 participants from the three waves of ELSA. Grip strength declined across the three waves, with mean (SD) Z-scores of 0.01 (0.94), - 0.06 (0.97) and - 0.20 (0.98) in waves 2, 4 and 6, respectively. The annual Z-score decline after adjustments was 0.03 SDs (95% CI 0.02, 0.03) per year.
conclusionWe saw evidence of a recent slight decline in the grip strength of older English adults. Over the 9-year period of this study, the decline seen is equivalent to 65-year-olds' mean strength declining to that previously seen in individuals at age 69. Further monitoring of secular trends in grip strength and investigation of possible causes are warranted.
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