title: Handgrip Strength and Ideal Cardiovascular Health among Colombian Children and Adolescents.
abstract: To evaluate the association between handgrip strength and ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) in Colombian children and adolescents.
  
  
  
  During the 2014-2015 school years, we examined a cross-sectional component of the FUPRECOL (Association for Muscular Strength with Early Manifestation of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors among Colombian Children and Adolescents) study. Participants included 1199 (n = 627 boys) youths from Bogota (Colombia). Handgrip strength was measured with a standard adjustable hand held dynamometer and expressed relative to body mass (handgrip/body mass) and as absolute values in kilograms. Ideal CVH, as defined by the American Heart Association, was determined as meeting ideal levels of the following components: 4 behaviors (smoking status, body mass index, cardiorespiratory fitness, and diet) and 3 factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose).
  
  
  
  Higher levels of handgrip strength (both absolute and relative values) were associated with a higher frequency of ideal CVH metrics in both sexes (P for trend ≤ .001). Also, higher levels of handgrip strength were associated with a greater number of ideal health behaviors (P for trend < .001 in both boys and girls), and with a higher number of ideal health factors in boys (P for trend < .001). Finally, levels of handgrip strength were similar between ideal versus nonideal glucose or total cholesterol groups in girls.
  
  
  
  Handgrip strength was strongly associated with ideal CVH in Colombian children and adolescents, and thus supports the relevance of early targeted interventions to promote strength adaptation and preservation as part of primordial prevention.
authors.affiliation: Center of Studies in Physical Activity Measurements, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia. Electronic address: robin640@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Robinson
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramírez-Vélez
authors.affiliation: Center of Studies in Physical Activity Measurements, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tordecilla-Sanders
authors.affiliation: Center of Studies in Physical Activity Measurements, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Jorge Enrique
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Correa-Bautista
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Global REACH, University of Michigan Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.affiliation: Physical Activity, Sport and Health Sciences Laboratory, University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile; Faculty of Physical Activity and Science, University of Sebastián, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garcia-Hermoso
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D002648:Child; D003105:Colombia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
keywords: cardiovascular health; health behaviors; muscular strength; prevention; risk factors