title: Box and block test in Beninese adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the Box and Block Test norm in a sub-Saharan population and to compare these data with published norms for North American adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 692 healthy Beninese people, age range 20-85 years, were recruited. These subjects were asked to perform the Box and Block Test with both hands.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Box and Block Test scores (mean and standard deviation (SD)) for women and men were, respectively, 81.3 (15.4) and 79 (16.6) for the dominant hand and 73.2 (13.7) and 72 (14.8) for the non-dominant hand. Mean Box and Block Test scores ranged from 89.1 (12.7) for people under the age of 25 years to 55.23 (10.5) for people over the age of 74 years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Manual dexterity was better for women than men, for dominant hand than non-dominant hand, and for younger subjects. In comparison with published results for US subjects, Beninese subjects had better dexterity below the age of 50 years in both sexes for the right hand and worse dexterity over 64 years of age in both sexes for the right hand.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Developing and validating outcome scales in Africa will help to improve functional assessment of African populations in clinical practice and research.
authors.affiliation: Université Catholique de Louvain, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Avenue Hippocrate 10, BE-1200 Brussels, Belgium. E-mail: thierry.lejeune@uclouvain.be.
authors.forename: Ditouah Didier Niama
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Natta
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alagnidé
authors.forename: Toussaint Godonou
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Kpadonou
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Detrembleur
authors.forename: Thierry M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Lejeune
authors.forename: Gaëtan G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Stoquart
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001541:Benin; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult