Social patterning in grip strength across the life course: a cross sectional analysis using Understanding Society

Presenter: Caroline Carney, ISER, University of Essex

Author: Caroline Carney

Grip strength in early adulthood and midlife is an important predictor of disability, morbidity and mortality in later life; understanding its social determinants could improve insight into health inequalities and decline in old age. Using Understanding Society data on 14644 people aged 16 to 98; this research employs fractional polynomials to explore the growth and decline of grip strength over the life course, establishing its peak for men and women and whether this varies on the basis of socio-economic position (SEP). Maternal education, income and highest educational qualification are used to measure SEP. Interaction terms for each SEP indicator are used to identify if the slopes for high and low SEP are significantly different. We find that grip strength peaks earlier for those with low SEP and at a lower level of strength. For example, grip strength peaks at 45.4kg and at age 35 for low income men, while this occurs at 47.5kg when aged 36 for men with medium and high income. The differences in grip strength between high and low SEP are more pronounced for adult SEP rather than childhood; for men this is greatest on the basis of income and for women, the greatest difference is between those with high and low education. Our findings imply that grip strength decline begins at a younger age for low SEP groups and from a lower level, so that they reach problematic levels earlier in life than those who are more affluent.