Table 1.
Descriptive characteristics of the participants.
| Variables | Overall (n = 2689) |
Symmetric HGS and Not Weak (n = 1427) |
Weak Only (n = 72) |
Asymmetric HGS Only (n = 1113) |
Asymmetric HGS and Weak (n = 77) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HGS (kg) | 31.7 ± 10.0 | 32.7 ± 9.6 | 18.4 ± 5.3 | 32.4 ± 9.7 | 17.2 ± 5.2 |
| HGS Ratio | 1.06 ± 0.15 | 1.01 ± 0.05 | 1.01 ± 0.05 | 1.14 ± 0.20 | 1.11 ± 0.24 |
| Age (years) | 69.6 ± 6.8 | 68.9 ± 6.7 | 75.5 ± 6.1 | 69.5 ± 6.7 | 75.8 ± 5.9 |
| Male (n (%)) | 1299 (48.2) | 711 (49.8) | 44 (61.1) | 510 (45.8) | 34 (44.1) |
| Ethnicity (n (%)) | |||||
| Hispanic | 490 (18.2) | 251 (17.6) | 10 (13.9) | 215 (19.3) | 14 (18.2) |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 638 (23.7) | 339 (23.7) | 16 (22.2) | 274 (24.6) | 9 (11.7) |
| Non-Hispanic White | 1296 (48.2) | 700 (49.1) | 34 (47.2) | 517 (46.5) | 45 (58.4) |
| Other | 265 (9.9) | 137 (9.6) | 12 (16.7) | 107 (9.6) | 9 (11.7) |
| Obese (n (%)) | 1017 (37.8) | 523 (36.6) | 31 (43.0) | 422 (40.1) | 22 (28.5) |
| Diabetes (n (%)) | 625 (23.2) | 324 (22.7) | 26 (36.1) | 252 (22.6) | 23 (29.8) |
| Arthritis (n (%)) | 1319 (49.0) | 662 (46.3) | 33 (45.8) | 575 (51.6) | 49 (63.6) |
| Stroke (n (%)) | 186 (6.9) | 78 (5.4) | 15 (20.8) | 82 (7.3) | 11 (14.2) |
| Self-Perceived Memory Impairment (n (%)) | 382 (14.2) | 188 (13.2) | 19 (26.3) | 153 (13.7) | 22 (28.5) |
| Current Smoker (n (%)) | 334 (12.4) | 183 (12.8) | 8 (11.1) | 133 (11.9) | 10 (12.9) |
| Previous Smoker (n (%)) |
1022 (37.9) | 539 (37.7) | 29 (40.2) | 426 (38.2) | 28 (36.3) |
| Currently Married (n (%)) |
1474 (54.8) | 812 (56.9) | 33 (45.8) | 601 (54.0) | 28 (36.3) |
| Depressed (n (%)) | 227 (8.4) | 107 (7.5) | 10 (13.8) | 102 (9.1) | 8 (10.3) |
| Self-Rated Health (n (%)) | |||||
| Excellent | 208 (7.7) | 118 (8.3) | 4 (5.7) | 80 (7.2) | 6 (7.8) |
| Very Good | 664 (24.7) | 355 (24.9) | 11 (15.2) | 279 (25.1) | 19 (24.7) |
| Good | 1064 (39.5) | 574 (40.2) | 27 (37.5) | 443 (39.8) | 20 (26.0) |
| Fair | 630 (23.5) | 328 (23.0) | 23 (31.9) | 254 (22.8) | 25 (32.4) |
| Poor | 123 (4.6) | 52 (3.6) | 7 (9.7) | 57 (5.1) | 7 (9.1) |
| Functional Limitation (n (%)) | 1701 (63.2) | 877 (61.4) | 62 (86.1) | 691 (62.0) | 71 (92.2) |
Note: HGS = handgrip strength.