Factors Leading to a Decrease in Grip Strength Among the Oldest Old: A Large, Representative, Longitudinal Survey

OBJECTIVES: Grip strength is an indicator for physical performance and highly correlated with general health among older adults. To date, there is limited knowledge regarding the factors contributing to grip strength exclusively among the oldest old based on data from large representative samples and also including institutionalized individuals. Consequently, the purpose of our current study was to address this gap in knowledge.

DESIGN: A large representative, longitudinal study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Survey on quality of life and subjective well-being of the very old in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW80+), including individuals ≥80 years (residing in institutionalized settings and living in private households) in North Rhine-Westphalia (n = 1824, mean age was 86.7 years, 80 to 104 years).

METHODS: In accordance with other large cohort studies, isometric grip strength was measured using a dynamometer (Smedley Dynamometer, 100 kg).

RESULTS: Linear fixed effects regressions showed that decreases in grip strength were significantly associated with increases in age (β = -0.70, P < .001), decreases in social network size (β = 0.08, P < .05), and worsening self-rated health (β = 0.80, P < .01). In contrast, decreases in grip strength were not significantly associated with changes in marital status, changes in living situation, changes in the number of chronic conditions, changes in depressive symptoms, and changes in health literacy.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: It has been shown that age, social network size, and self-rated health were associated with grip strength among the oldest old longitudinally. Our current study may assist in identifying individuals at risk for low grip strength. For example, efforts to maintain social contacts may be beneficial to maintain grip strength. This is relevant because low grip strength contributes to unfavorable outcomes such as poor quality of life, functional impairment, cognitive decline, and reduced longevity.