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Table 2 Descriptive analysis and significant correlations of muscle strength with body-size variables in older men and women (n = 94)

From: Identification of muscle weakness in older adults from normalized upper and lower limbs strength: a cross-sectional study

Variables

Older Men (n = 29)

Older Women (n = 65)

Correlation (r) with Muscle Strength

M

95% CI

SD

M

95% CI

SD

HGS (kg)

Knee Extension

LL

UL

LL

UL

1RM (kg)

PT (Nm)

Age (years)

71.2

68.5

73.9

7.1

69.7

68.2

71.2

6.1

   

Mini-Mental State Examination (0–19)

17.6

16.9

18.2

1.8

17.4

16.9

17.8

1.8

   

Body-size variables

           

Anthropometry

           

 Body mass (kg)

73.0

67.7

78.3

13.9

66.9

64.0

69.8

11.6

0.37†

0.39†

0.40†

 Height (m)

1.7

1.6

1.7

0.1

1.6

1.5

1.6

0.1

0.71†

0.62†

0.68†

Circumferences (cm)

           

 Forearm

26.0

25.2

26.8

2.0

23.8

23.3

24.4

2.2

0.50†

0.40†

0.46†

 Calf

35.8

34.4

37.1

3.5

34.8

34.1

35.5

2.9

0.34*

0.37†

0.37†

 Chest

97.8

94.3

101.4

9.4

93.2

91.3

95.1

7.7

0.26*

0.32*

0.36†

 Waist

92.1

87.8

96.5

11.4

86.5

84.0

89.0

10.0

 

0.26*

0.30*

Skinfold thickness (mm)

           

 Triceps

15.2

12.9

17.5

6.0

25.8

24.1

27.4

6.7

–0.39†

–0.22*

–0.25*

 Biceps

8.0

6.7

9.4

3.5

15.4

14.0

16.7

5.4

–0.40†

–0.28*

–0.31*

 Midaxillary

18.5

15.5

21.5

7.8

23.9

22.2

25.6

6.9

–0.26*

  

 Pectoral

16.8

14.7

18.9

5.5

14.6

13.0

16.2

6.4

0.21*

  

 Suprailiac

19.7

15.8

23.5

10.1

29.7

27.8

31.7

7.8

–0.29*

  

 Abdominal (vertical)

26.2

23.1

29.3

8.1

33.7

31.5

35.9

8.8

–0.22*

  

 Thigh (midline)

17.9

15.0

20.8

7.6

32.1

29.5

34.8

10.7

–0.35*

–0.27*

–0.38†

 Medial calf

11.8

9.3

14.3

6.6

23.8

21.9

25.7

7.6

–0.41†

–0.28*

–0.33*

Bone breadths (mm)

           

 Biacromial

39.9

38.9

41.0

2.8

37.1

36.6

37.6

2.1

0.63†

0.58†

0.60†

 Bitrochanteric

33.7

33.1

34.3

1.7

33.4

32.8

34.0

2.3

 

0.20*

0.22*

 Ankle (bimalleolar)

7.0

6.8

7.2

0.5

6.3

6.2

6.4

0.4

0.59†

0.47†

0.52†

 Elbow

6.7

6.5

6.9

0.5

5.8

5.7

6.0

0.5

0.53†

0.40†

0.44†

 Wrist

5.7

5.6

5.9

0.4

5.1

5.0

5.1

0.4

0.52†

0.37†

0.44†

 Chest

30.9

29.9

31.9

2.6

27.8

27.4

28.3

1.8

0.58†

0.49†

0.59†

Segment lenghts (cm)

           

 Knee height

53.5

52.4

54.5

2.7

49.5

49.0

50.0

2.1

0.62†

0.55†

0.58†

 Half arm span

87.3

85.5

89.2

4.8

80.8

79.8

81.7

3.8

0.71†

0.62†

0.58†

Body indexes

           

Derived from anthropometry

           

 Body mass*height (kg*m)

123.3

112.6

134.1

28.2

104.7

99.8

109.7

20.0

0.49†

0.49†

0.52†

 SA (m2)

1.9

1.8

1.9

0.2

1.7

1.7

1.8

0.2

0.47†

0.48†

0.50†

 MAMC (cm)

24.2

23.0

25.3

2.9

21.9

21.3

22.5

2.6

0.45†

0.39†

0.45†

 CAMA (cm2)

37.1

32.7

41.6

11.7

32.2

29.9

34.5

9.2

0.37†

0.33†

0.40†

 AFA (cm2)

16.3

14.0

18.6

6.0

22.9

21.3

24.6

6.6

–0.23*

  

 FFM(LEAN et al. [44]) (kg)

52.1

49.6

54.6

6.6

37.1

36.0

38.2

4.6

0.75†

0.66†

0.67†

 Fat mass(LEAN et al. [44]) (kg)

20.9

17.7

24.0

8.2

29.8

27.9

31.7

7.8

–0.22*

  

Derived from body composition

           

 Left arm LST (kg)

2.4

2.1

2.6

0.6

1.5

1.4

1.6

0.3

0.72†

0.62†

0.66†

 Right arm LST (kg)

2.8

2.5

3.0

0.6

1.8

1.7

1.9

0.4

0.72†

0.61†

0.60†

 Left leg LST (kg)

7.7

7.1

8.3

1.6

5.5

5.3

5.8

1.0

0.67†

0.64†

0.64†

 Right leg LST (kg)

8.0

7.4

8.6

1.6

5.7

5.4

5.9

1.0

0.70†

0.64†

0.65†

 Arms LST (kg)

5.1

4.7

5.6

1.2

3.3

3.2

3.5

0.7

0.74†

0.63†

0.64†

 Legs LST (kg)

15.7

14.6

16.9

3.1

11.2

10.7

11.6

1.9

0.69†

0.65†

0.66†

 ASM (kg)

20.9

19.3

22.5

4.2

14.5

13.9

15.1

2.5

0.72†

0.65†

0.66†

 ASM/height2 (kg/m2)

7.3

7.0

7.7

1.0

6.0

5.7

6.2

0.9

0.55†

0.51†

0.48†

 FFM(Baumgartner et al. [46]) (kg)

54.3

51.3

57.3

7.7

45.5

44.0

47.0

6.1

0.60†

0.55†

0.57†

 FFM(DXA) (kg)

51.5

47.9

55.0

9.4

38.8

37.4

40.3

5.8

0.68†

0.59†

0.61†

 Fat mass(DXA) (kg)

21.5

18.8

24.2

7.1

28.1

26.3

29.9

7.2

–0.20*

  

Mobility

           

 Six-minute walk test (6MWT)

464.7

431.1

498.3

88.3

412.7

389.9

435.5

92.0

   

 Functional limitation (6MWT < 400 m); %

24.1%

   

38.5%

      

Muscle strength

           

 HGS (kg)

36.4

33.1

39.7

8.6

24.1

23.0

25.2

4.5

   

 1RM (kg)

66.8

56.9

76.7

26.0

40.8

36.9

44.8

15.9

   

 No. of reps to estimate 1RM

7.2

6.3

8.1

2.3

6.6

6.0

7.2

2.4

   

PT (Nm)

119.8

102.4

137.2

45.6

73.2

66.8

79.6

25.9

   
  1. M mean, CI confidence interval, LL lower limit, UL upper limit, SD standard deviation, HGS handgrip strength, 1RM one maximum repetition measurement for knee extensors, PT isokinetic knee extension peak torque at 60º/s, Nm Newton meter, SA human body surface area, MAMC mid-arm muscle circumference, CAMA corrected arm muscle area, AFA arm fat area, FFM fat-free mass, LST lean soft tissue, ASM appendicular skeletal muscle mass, DXA Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
  2. *p < 0.05 and †p < 0.001 (statistically significant correlation)
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BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation

ISSN: 2052-1847

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