Associação entre força de preensão palmar e capacidade funcional em pessoas idosas assistidas em um serviço público no Nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

Introduction: Aging can make elderly people vulnerable to physical limitations, which can have an impact on their functional, cognitive and social capacity. Objective: To evaluate whether there is an association between handgrip strength and functional capacity in elderly people assisted in a public service in the Northeast of Brazil. Methods: This observational and cross-sectional study evaluated 98 elderly patients treated at the Nutrition and Geriatrics outpatient clinic or recruited from other outpatient clinics in Nutrition. Sociodemographic data were collected and handgrip strength and functional capacity were assessed. Results: Of the 98 elderly people evaluated, most were aged between 70 and 79 years old (44.9%), the majority of whom were female (81.6%). In relation to handgrip strength (23.5%), they did not reach the value recommended by the literature. Handgrip strength was lower in males when compared to females. Most elderly people were classified as independent (69.4%). An association was found between functional capacity. Conclusion: the results showed the relationship between handgrip strength and functional capacity. Therefore, the assessment of handgrip strength, which is a simple, low-cost and easily applicable method, can help predict the functional capacity of elderly people. Keywords: Handgrip strength; Functional capacity; Elderly;