title: Pinch strengths in healthy Iranian children and young adult population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Data on the physical strength capabilities are essential for designing safe and usable products and are useful in a wide range of clinical settings especially during treatment of disease affecting the function of the hand. The purpose of this study was to determine peak lateral pinch strength, key pinch strength, tip-to-tip pinch strength and three-jaw pinch strength exertions in a healthy Iranian children and young adult population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted among 511 participants (242 males and 269 females) aged 7-30 years. Measurements were carried out with both dominant and non-dominant hands in standard sitting posture using a B&L pinch gauge. Two repetitions of each strength measurement were recorded for each condition and the average value of the two trials was used in the subsequent analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed significant differences in the pinch strength data in terms of the age, gender and hand dominance. The lateral pinch strength, key pinch strength, tip-to-tip pinch strength and three-jaw pinch strength exertions by females were 68.4%, 68.8%, 78.8% and 81.8% of those exerted by males, respectively. Strength exertions with the non-dominant hand were 6.4%, 5.2%, 6.6% and 5.1% lower than strength exertions of the dominant hand for the lateral pinch strength, key pinch strength, tip-to-tip pinch strength and three-jaw pinch strength exertions, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings can be used to fill the gaps in strength data for Iranian population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Iman
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dianat
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feizi
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Health, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
authors.forename: Kosar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hasan-Khali
keywords: Key pinch; Lateral pinch; Three-jaw pinch; Tip-to-tip pinch