The effect of frailty on the adjustability of grasping force in community-dwelling older adults: a cross-sectional study

TL;DR

This study found that older adults with frailty may improve their ability to adjust grasping force in their non-dominant hand.

Contribution

The study reveals how frailty affects grasping force adjustability and potential compensatory mechanisms in non-dominant hands.

Findings

Non-robust older adults showed better grasping force adjustability in the non-dominant hand compared to the robust group.

AGF scores in the isometric section differed significantly between dominant and non-dominant hands in the non-robust group.

Abstract

This study aimed to clarify the influence of frailty on the adjustability of grasping force (AGF) in community-dwelling older adults.

This cross-sectional study included 23 community-dwelling older adults. Participants were assessed for basic information, the Japanese version of the Cardiovascular Health Study (J-CHS) criteria, the Frenchay Activities Index, and AGF. The participants were classified into the robust and non-robust groups based on the J-CHS criteria. AGF was quantified using the AGF score, defined as the absolute error between the target and actual grasping force; lower AGF scores indicated better AGF.

The non-robust group showed significantly lower AGF scores than the robust group in the total (p = 0.02), isometric (p = 0.04), and concentric (p = 0.01) sections of the non-dominant hand, indicating better AGF. In the robust group, AGF scores in the concentric section differed significantly between the dominant and non-dominant hands (p = 0.02), with the dominant hand showing a lower AGF score, indicating better AGF. In the non-robust group, AGF scores in the isometric section differed significantly between the dominant and non-dominant hands (p = 0.04), with the non-dominant hand showing a lower AGF score, indicating better AGF.

These findings suggest that non-robust older adults may compensate for functional limitations by enhancing AGF in the non-dominant hand.