title: Obese very old women have low relative hangrip strength, poor physical function, and difficulties in daily living.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether anthropometric and body composition variables and handgrip strength (HS) were associated with physical function and independent daily living in 88-year-old Swedish women.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional analysis of 83 community-dwelling women aged 88 years who were of normal weight (n=30), overweight (n=29), and obese (n=24) was performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Body weight (Wt), height, waist circumference (WC), and arm circumference were assessed using an electronic scale and a measuring tape. Tricep skinfold thickness was measured using a skinfold calliper. Fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) were measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis, and HS was recorded with an electronic grip force instrument. Linear regression was used to determine the contributions of parameters as a single predictor or as a ratio of HS to physical function (Short Form-36, SF-36PF) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Obese women had greater absolute FM and FFM and lower HS corrected for FFM and HS-based ratios (i.e., HS/Wt, HS/body mass index [BMI]) than their normal weight and overweight counterparts. After adjusting for physical activity levels and the number of chronic diseases, HS-based ratios explained more variance in SF-36PF scoring (R2, 0.52-0.54) than single anthropometric and body composition variables (R2, 0.45-0.51). WC, HS, and HS-based ratios (HS/Wt and HS/FFM) were also associated with independence in IADL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obese very old women have a high WC but their HS is relatively low in relation to their Wt and FFM. These parameters are better than BMI for predicting physical function and independent daily living.
authors.affiliation: Huan-Ji Dong, Division of Geriatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, SE-581 85 Linköping, Sweden. Telephone: +46 10 103 80 51. Fax: +46 10 103 41 41. E-mail: huanji.dong@liu.se.
authors.forename: H-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marcusson
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wressle
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Unosson
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry; D001823:Body Composition; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016014:Linear Models; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000503:physiopathology; D012885:Skinfold Thickness; D013548:Sweden; D055105:Waist Circumference