Table 1.
Distribution of variables and percentage of low grip strength “cut-off points: 26 kg for men, 16 kg for women” prevalence among the 1953 survey participants aged 60 and older, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2014, USA.
| Variable | Total Sample Percentage/Mean (95% CI) | Percentage/Mean of Participants with Low Grip Strength (95% CI) | Significance (p-Value *) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender (%) | |||
| Male | 47.2 (44.3, 50.1) | 7.4 (5.7, 9.5) | 0.000 |
| Female | 52.7 (49.8, 55.7) | 13.7 (11.2, 16.4) | |
| Age in years (mean) | 68.5 (67.9, 69.0) | 74.9 (74.0, 75.8) | 0.000 |
| Ethnicity (%) | |||
| Hispanic | 7.3 (4.8, 11.1) | 15.5 (10.7, 21.9) | 0.039 |
| Non-Hispanic White | 79.4 (75.4, 82.9) | 10.2 (8.3, 12.4) | |
| Non-Hispanic Black | 7.8 (5.8, 10.5) | 9.9 (6.7, 14.4) | |
| Other Race | 5.3 (3.7,7.5) | 12.5 (7.8, 19.4) | |
| Ratio of family income to poverty (mean) | 3.1 (2.9, 3.2) | 2.2 (1.9, 2.4) | 0.000 |
| Education level (%) | |||
| Grade school or Less | 13.1 (10.4, 16.3) | 17.5 (13.2, 22.9) | 0.001 |
| High school | 21.0 (18.1, 24.3) | 12.2 (9.0, 16.3) | |
| College | 32.6 (29.4, 35.9) | 10.1 (7.8, 12.8) | |
| Above College | 33.1 (28.8, 37.7) | 7.7 (5.7, 10.2) | |
| Marital status (%) | |||
| Living with partner/married | 66.9 (64.5, 69.3) | 7.2 (5.5, 9.3) | |
| Single | 33.0 (30.6, 35.4) | 17.8 (14.7, 21.5) | 0.000 |
| Smoking status (%) | |||
| Never smoker | 53.0 (49.9, 56.1) | 12.5 (10.1, 15.5) | 0.164 |
| Former smoker | 37.1 (34.1, 40.1) | 8.5 (6.6, 11.0) | |
| Current smoker | 9.8 (8.1, 11.7) | 8.8 (3.9, 18.8) | |
| Diabetes (%) | |||
| Absent | 71.2 (67.6, 74.5) | 9.4 (7.7, 11.6) | |
| Present | 28.7 (25.4, 32.4) | 13.8 (11.8, 16.0) | 0.001 |
| Comorbid condition (%) | |||
| No chronic disease | 35.9 (32.2, 39.7) | 6.3 (4.7, 8.3) | |
| Having chronic diseases | 64.0 (60.2, 67.7) | 13.2 (11.0, 15.6) | 0.000 |
| Body Mass Index (kg/m2) (mean) | 28.7 (28.3, 29.2) | 26.9 (25.8, 28.1) | 0.004 |
| Physical activity (%) | |||
| Active | 65.7 (62.1, 69.0) | 7.6 (5.9, 9.9) | |
| Inactive | 34.3 (30.9, 37.8) | 16.5 (13.1, 20.6) | 0.000 |
| Periodontitis | |||
| No or mild | 50.1 (45.7, 54.6) | 8.7 (6.3,11.8) | |
| Moderate/severe | 49.8 (45.3,54.3) | 12.7 (11.0, 14.7) | 0.034 |
Notes: CI = confidence interval, * p-value based on chi-square for categorical variables and t-test for numerical variables.