title: Test-retest reliability of grip-strength measures obtained over a 12-week interval from community-dwelling elders.
abstract: This study examined the test-retest reliability of hand-grip strength measured over a 12-week period. Twenty-one apparently healthy elders (age=75.0+/-5.9 yr) participated. Single strength measurements obtained bilaterally using a Jamar dynamometer were compared across time. Test and retest measurements did not differ significantly over time on either side. Intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.954 and 0.912 for the left and right hands, respectively. Technical errors of measurement were 15.8 and 21.3N for the left and right hands, respectively. Measurements of hand-grip strength obtained from elders over a 12-week period are reliable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, School of Allied Health, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-2101, USA. ptconsultant@comcast.net
authors.forename: Richard W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Bohannon
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Schaubert
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018763:Muscle Fatigue / Q000502:physiology*; D004856:Postural Balance; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors