Association of Physical Activity and Handgrip Strength among Korean Elderly

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of physical activity and the handgrip strength in the elderly. METHODS Using the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES) 2017 dataset, we selected 1,427 participants aged 65 or older who without missing data. One-way batch analysis was used to determine the difference of handgrip strength according to the frequency of physical activity. If there was a difference between the groups, a post-test was conducted to confirm the statistical significance. The repeated measurement two-way ANOVA was performed to test mean difference between groups and measurements, and the effect of interactions between them on the significant level of α=.05. RESULTS The handgrip strength was higher in participants who reported higher physical activity frequency. In addition, the elderly women who participated in the higher moving place physical activity and walking exercise, and the elderly men who participated in the higher resistance training exercise, the handgrip strength was significantly higher. CONCLUSIONS We found that the higher frequency of physical activity may associated with higher handgrip strength in Korean elderly. However, because we did not consider the difference of total volume of physical activity in each group, further study is needed.