Physical strength of a German population sample: Differences in age, gender and hand preference

Abstract

BACKGROUND: For the ergonomic design of products and workplaces, knowledge about e.g. the physical strength or hand preference of the target population is helpful. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to gather data about isometric hand force and hand preference of a large sample of the population in Germany. METHODS: The isometric maximum force was determined in one-handed pulling (with support for the other hand), gripping and handling a screwdriver (supination) for both hands. Other factors such as age, gender, hand preference and occupation were documented in a standardized questionnaire. RESULTS:1,207 (428 female, 779 male) subjects between 5 and 91 years participated in this study. On average, females reach 2/3 of the strength level of males. The results do not show any significant influence of age on the maximum isometric force in the age groups between 20 and 59 years, but high intra age group differences occur. CONCLUSIONS: On average, for all subjects the preferred hand is stronger. The difference between the dominant and the subdominant hand ranges between 1% and 11% on average depending on the type of force exertion, hand preference and gender. Nevertheless, a very large variation of the side differences and strength levels within the types of handedness exists.