title: [Handgrip strength and flexibility and their association with anthropometric variables in the elderly].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To verify the correlation between handgrip strength (HGS) and flexibility with age and anthropometric variables in the elderly.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional home-based study of elderly individuals enrolled in the Family Health Strategy of Campina Grande/PB. Gender, age, HGS, flexibility, arm muscle circumference (AMC), corrected arm muscle area (CAMA), and body mass index (BMI) were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 420 elderly individuals were evaluated. Correlations of HGS with age, AMC and CAMA, in both genders, were observed. BMI correlated with HGS only in females. Flexibility correlated with BMI in males. In the multivariate analysis, age and AMC were predictive variables of the HGS variation in females. In males, age was the only variable predictive of HGS, and BMI was the predictor of flexibility variation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicate a probable influence of age and anthropometric variables in muscular strength, as well as that of excess weight in flexibility limitation.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, Campina Grande, PB, Brasil. nathaliegmr@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Nathalie de Almeida
authors.initials: Nde A
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Tarciana Nobre de
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.forename: Rômulo Lustosa Pimenteira de
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: Dixis Figueroa
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Pedraza
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods*; D001132:Arm; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology*