# Functionality, Anthropometric Measurements, and Handgrip Strength in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

## TL;DR

Higher BMI and abdominal fat are linked to reduced daily functioning in older adults, while handgrip strength is a useful quick screening tool for health assessments.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates that handgrip strength is significantly associated with anthropometric indicators, supporting its use in primary health care for older adults.

## Key findings

- Higher BMI and abdominal adiposity are associated with reduced functional capacity for instrumental activities in older adults.
- Handgrip strength is significantly correlated with anthropometric indicators like BMI and waist circumference.
- Early screening using handgrip strength, BMI, and waist circumference can help identify older adults at risk of functional decline.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
A higher body mass index and abdominal adiposity were associated with reduced functional capacity for instrumental activities in community-dwelling older adults.Handgrip strength showed significant associations with anthropometric indicators, reinforcing its value as a quick and feasible screening tool in primary health care.

A higher body mass index and abdominal adiposity were associated with reduced functional capacity for instrumental activities in community-dwelling older adults.

Handgrip strength showed significant associations with anthropometric indicators, reinforcing its value as a quick and feasible screening tool in primary health care.

What are the implications of the main findings?
Simple measures such as handgrip strength, BMI, and waist circumference can help identify older adults at nutritional and functional risk in routine primary health care.Early screening with these indicators can guide targeted interventions to prevent functional decline and promote healthy aging.

Simple measures such as handgrip strength, BMI, and waist circumference can help identify older adults at nutritional and functional risk in routine primary health care.

Early screening with these indicators can guide targeted interventions to prevent functional decline and promote healthy aging.

Introduction: Functionality, anthropometric measurements (BMI, arm circumference), and handgrip strength (HGS) are crucial for assessing the health of older adults, as HGS is a strong predictor of frailty and independence, correlating with muscle mass loss (sarcopenia) and the risk of falls. Background/Objectives: To analyze the relationship between functional capacity, anthropometric measurements, and handgrip strength in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: A descriptive, exploratory, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach was conducted with 225 older adults monitored at two Family Health Units, using the Barthel Scale, Lawton and Brody Scale, anthropometric measurements (body mass index, waist, calf, and brachial circumferences), and dynamometry as instruments. Spearman’s test was used for correlations, with interpretation by shared variance and comparison of magnitudes by Steiger r-to-z method. A higher frequency of females (65.8%) was observed, in the age range between 60 and 68 years (51.1%), independent in Basic Activities of Daily Living (76.9%) and dependent in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (99.1%). The analysis revealed that waist circumference showed a significant correlation with waist-to-hip ratio (ρ-value 0.604; p-value < 0.01) and body mass index (ρ-value = 0.696; p-value < 0.01). These associations showed shared variances of 36.5% (waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio) and 48.4% (waist circumference and body mass index). Waist-to-hip ratio showed a significant positive correlation with waist-to-hip ratio (ρ-value = 0.256; p-value < 0.01) and body mass index (ρ-value = 0.198; p-value < 0.01). However, these relationships showed lower shared variances at 6.5% with waist-to-hip ratio and 3.9% with BMI. The Lawton scale showed a statistically significant negative correlation with hand grip strength (ρ-value = −0.176; p-value < 0.01). Conclusions: There is a significant relationship between functional capacity, anthropometric measurements, and hand grip strength in community-dwelling older adults, reflecting the interaction between physical performance, body composition, and autonomy.