Estudo da força de preensão manual em escolares: correlação com variáveis antropométricas e descrição de valores de referência

Abstract

Muscle strength is an important aspect of physical health and fitness. Its decrease is associated with diseases, health problems and mortality in different diseases. Among the tests that measure the ability to generate force in muscle groups, the hand grip strength (HGS) is the one that best measures the ability to produce muscle strength in general. Dynamometric and anthropometric information have recognized importance in scientific research, in the medical clinic and in the industry, but few studies investigate the relationship between anthropometry and HGS in children and adolescents. The aim of the present study is to produce information on the relationship between anthropometry and HGS in Brazilian children and adolescents enrolled in elementary public school in the city of Rio de Janeiro, as well as to organize a summary table of the reference values of the ability to generate HGS for healthy children and adolescents. To fulfill the objective described, two studies are being carried out. The first, collected data from 583 students (278 girls and 305 boys) aged 11–17 years from a public school in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Sampling stratification was carried out according to age and sex. The students’ anthropometrics, height, hand width, hand length and hand span were measured. The Jamar® hydraulic dynamometer was used to measure the ability to generate HGS. Statistical analysis was carried using Student's t test, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson and Spearman test. In the second study, a systematic review was carried out, which included complete peer-reviewed articles, with no restriction on language or publication date, in which hand dynamometry was used to assess the ability to generate force in healthy children and adolescents with typical development. Quantitative assessment was performed through meta-analysis. The results of the first study showed an increase in the ability to generate HGS in adolescence and a significant difference between the sexes from the age of 13, where boys produced higher HGS values. The ability to generate HGS was correlated with all anthropometric variables studied, but the correlations with body mass and hand width stood out in both sexes. In the second study, 133 articles were identified in the databases and 10 articles were used for the meta-analysis, generating a summary table of the reference values of the ability to generate HGS of children and adolescents aged 4 to 17 years