Grip strength but not stair climb power is associated with injurious falls in middle-aged and older women: The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN).
Nina Z Heilmann, Kristine M Ruppert, Jimmie E Roberts, Carrie A Karvonen-Gutierrez, Kelley Pettee Gabriel, Kelly R Ylitalo, Bradley C Nindl, Jane A Cauley, Elsa S Strotmeyer
Article in Archives of osteoporosis, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
2 · The registry
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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5 · Who and what money
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Nina Z HeilmannDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Kristine M RuppertDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Jimmie E RobertsHinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, MA, USA.
Carrie A Karvonen-GutierrezDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Kelley Pettee GabrielDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Kelly R YlitaloDepartment of Public Health, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
Bradley C NindlNeuromuscular Research Laboratory/Warrior Human Performance Research Center, Department of Sports Medicine and Nutrition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Jane A CauleyDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Elsa S StrotmeyerDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. strotmeyere@edc.pitt.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-4093-6036
Funding
The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN): The Impact of Midlife and the Menopause Transition on Health and Functioning in Early Old AgeU19AG063720 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI SHERRI-ANN M BURNETT-BOWIE · 2020 to 2026
$61.3M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--COORDINATING CENTERU01AG012553 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI BROOKS, MARIA MORI · 1994 to 2019
$37.7M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--ENDOCRINE LABU01AG012495 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI MCCONNELL, DANIEL S · 1994 to 2018
$18.8M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--PITTSBURGHU01AG012546 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI MATTHEWS, KAREN · 1994 to 2019
$16.2M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--UCDAVISU01AG012554 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS · PI GOLD, ELLEN B. · 1994 to 2019
$14.5M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--UCLAU01AG012539 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI GREENDALE, GAIL A · 1994 to 2018
$13.7M
THE STUDY OF WOMEN'S HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION-MICHIGANU01NR004061 · NINR · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI HARLOW, SIOBAN D · 1994 to 2018
$12.9M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--CHICAGOU01AG012505 · NIA · RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI KRAVITZ, HOWARD M · 1994 to 2019
$11.9M
WOMENS HEALTH ACROSS THE NATION--MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HU01AG012531 · NIA · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI FINKELSTEIN, JOEL S · 1994 to 2019
$10.7M
Women's Health Across the Nation-New Jersey SiteU01AG012535 · NIA · UNIV OF MED/DENT OF NJ-NJ MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI DERBY, CAROL A. · 1994 to 2019
$9.2M
TRAINING IN THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF AGINGT32AG000181 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI STROTMEYER, ELSA S. · 1989 to 2025
$6.2M
National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS, through the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) U01AG012495National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS, through the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) U01AG012531National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS, through the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) U01AG012535National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS, through the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) U01AG012539National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS, through the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) U01AG012546National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS, through the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) U01AG012553National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS, through the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) U01AG012554National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS, through the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) U01NR004061; U01AG012505National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS, through the National Institute on Aging (NIA), the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) U19AG063720NIA NIH HHS T32 AG000181NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012495NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012505NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012531NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012535NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012539NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012546NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012553NIA NIH HHS U01 AG012554NIA NIH HHS U19 AG063720NINR NIH HHS U01 NR004061
6 · The paper itself
Abstract
We examined both muscle strength and power in relation to non-injurious and injurious falls in older women. Higher grip strength, but not stair climb power, was associated with lower odds of both fall outcomes. Findings highlight muscle strength as a potential target for fall prevention strategies in older women.
backgroundFalls are the leading cause of injury and injury death in older women, with an increase in fall prevalence during midlife. While muscle strength and power may be modifiable risk factors for falls, associations of both muscle strength and power with injurious falls have not been investigated together in a study of community-dwelling middle-aged and older women.
methodsIn the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN), muscle function and falls were measured in 2015-2017 and 2021-2023 (6.6 ± 0.3 years follow-up). Muscle function tests included grip strength (kg/weight(kg)) and stair climb power (W/weight(kg)). Self-reported falls in the past year were categorized as no falls, non-injurious falls, or injurious falls (fractured bone, hit/injured head, sprain/strain, bruises, bleeding, other). Generalized estimating equations were used to model associations between time-varying muscle function measures and fall outcomes adjusted for demographics, body size, lifestyle factors, and multimorbidities.
resultsAmong 1710 women (age 65.0 ± 2.7 years), 28% reported injurious falls and 16% reported non-injurious falls during the study period. Average declines were -1.37%/year for stair climb power and -0.90%/year for grip strength. In final models, a 1 standard deviation (0.10 kg/kg) higher grip strength was associated with 18% lower odds of non-injurious falls (OR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.69-0.98) and 19% lower odds of injurious falls (OR = 0.81, 95% CI 0.70-0.94). Stair climb power was not associated with either fall outcome.
conclusionsMuscle strength may be a potential target for musculoskeletal interventions to reduce fall and fall injury risk in older women.
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.
Grip strength but not stair climb power is associated with injurious falls in middle-aged and older women: The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). · full record | OpenQuestion