GripAble: Interrater reliability and normative grip strength of UK population

Sharah Abdul Mutalib; Deepika Sharma; Sonia Pike; Liz Gwynne; Samantha Hyde; Jennifer Morehouse; Helen Davey; Lauren Edwards; Pedro Douglass-Kirk; Etienne Burdet; Nicola Goldsmith; Michael Mace

doi:10.1016/j.jht.2023.12.013

GripAble: Interrater reliability and normative grip strength of UK population

J Hand Ther. 2024 Mar 22:S0894-1130(23)00201-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jht.2023.12.013. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ GRIPABLE Ltd, London, UK; Bioengineering Department, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK. Electronic address: sharahamo@imperial.ac.uk.
² GRIPABLE Ltd, London, UK. Electronic address: deepika@gripable.co.
³ GRIPABLE Ltd, London, UK. Electronic address: sonia@gripable.co.
⁴ GRIPABLE Ltd, London, UK. Electronic address: liz.gwynne@gripable.co.
⁵ GRIPABLE Ltd, London, UK.
⁶ GRIPABLE Ltd, London, UK. Electronic address: jenn@gripable.co.
⁷ GRIPABLE Ltd, London, UK. Electronic address: helen.davey@gripable.co.
⁸ GRIPABLE Ltd, London, UK. Electronic address: lauren@gripable.co.
⁹ GRIPABLE Ltd, London, UK. Electronic address: pedro@gripable.co.
¹⁰ Bioengineering Department, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK. Electronic address: e.burdet@imperial.ac.uk.
¹¹ Miriam May Occupational Therapy, London, UK. Electronic address: nicola@nicgold.co.uk.
¹² GRIPABLE Ltd, London, UK. Electronic address: mike@gripable.co.

PMID: 38521687
DOI: 10.1016/j.jht.2023.12.013

Abstract

Background: Hand grip strength is an established indicator of individual health status and is used as a biomarker for predicting mortality, disability, and disease risks. GripAble hand grip dynamometer offers a modernized approach to measuring grip strength with its digital and high-accuracy measurement system.

Purpose: This study aimed to (1) assess the interrater reliability of maximum grip strength (MGS) measurement and (2) establish GripAble's own gender-, age group- and hand-stratified normative MGS reference values of the adult UK population.

Study design: Cross-sectional study design.

Methods: Interrater reliability among three raters assessing 30 participants across diverse age groups was measured using the intraclass correlation. In the second study, 11 investigators gathered MGS data from 907 participants across diverse age groups and gender. The average, standard deviation, minimum, median, maximum, and percentiles of MGS were computed for each gender, age group, and hand (L/R). The relationship between MGS and age was examined using quantile regression analysis. Additionally, generalized linear model regression analysis was conducted to explore the influence of participants' demographics (gender, hand [L/R], hand length, hand circumference, age, weight, and height) on MGS.

Results: MGS measurements between raters showed excellent agreement (ICC(2,1) = 0.991, 95% confidence interval [0.98, 1.0]). The MGS and age relationship follows a curvilinear pattern, reaching a peak median MGS values of up to 20 kg between 30 and 49 years for females and up to 35 kg between 30 and 59 years for males. Subsequently, MGS declined as age advanced. Gender and hand (L/R) emerged as the primary factors influencing MGS, followed by hand length, hand circumference, age, weight, and height.

Conclusions: The presented normative MGS reference values can be used for interpreting MGS measurements obtained from adults in the United Kingdom using GripAble. This study, along with previous studies on GripAble devices, confirms GripAble as a reliable and valid tool for measuring MGS.

Keywords: GripAble; Hand grip strength; Interrater reliability; Maximum grip strength; Normative reference values; UK population.