Relationship between Muscular Fitness, Health Behaviors, and Health-related Quality of Life in U.S. Women

Background: Grip strength is a measure of muscular fitness and is related to many health problems in women. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between grip strength and HRQOL in U.S. women. A secondary purpose was to examine the extent to which physical activity (PA), obesity, and smoking moderate the grip strength and HRQOL relationship. Methods: Data for this research came from women 20 years of age and older participating in the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Grip strength (kg) was measured in both hands using a handgrip dynamometer and the largest reading across all trials served as the participant’s score. HRQOL was assessed by a single question asking participants to rate their general health. Additionally, measures of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (PA) (MVPA), TV time, sedentary time, and smoking were assessed. Multiple linear regression was used to model the relationship between HRQOL and grip strength while controlling for confounding variables. Results: Grip strength decreased proportionately in women with increasing age (ppslope=2.04 kg, SE=0.26, pConclusion: Results from this study indicate that grip strength and HRQOL are related in U.S. women. Furthermore, the grip strength and HRQOL relationship appears to remain in women who are current smokers.