Hand-grip strength predicts incident disability in non-disabled older men

Objectives: to verify if hand-grip performance in older men is a predictor of disability. Design: population-based prospective study. Setting: a sample from the Italian rural cohorts of the FINE study (Finland , Italy, Netherlands Elderly), representative of the general population of elderly men surveyed in 1991 and 1995. Participants: 140 men aged 71-91 years who reported no disability in perfor ming activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental activity of daily livi ng (IADLs) and mobility activities at baseline examination and provided inf ormation on their functional status at follow-up 4 years later. Measurements: disability was defined as needing help in performing ADLs, IA DLs and mobility. Hand-grip strength was evaluated at baseline by a mechani cal dynamometer. Results: after adjusting for potential confounding variables, a lower conce ntration of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was the only factor predic ting disability in men aged 76 years or younger and only reduced hand-grip strength predicted incident disability in men 77 years or older. Conclusion: poor hand strength as measured by hand-grip is a predictor of d isability in older people. The handgrip test is an easy and inexpensive scr eening tool to identify elderly people at risk of disability.