Clinical importance of simple muscular fitness tests to predict long-term health conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 94 cohort studies.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Systematic review and meta-analysis of observational cohort studies
PubMed 41667153 · doi:10.1136/bjsports-2024-109173
What was done
Systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies identified via PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, CINAHL, Epistemonikos, and Google Scholar. The review examined the predictive validity of field-based muscular strength tests (specifically handgrip strength and the 5-repetition chair-stand test) for incident long-term health conditions in adults aged 18 years and older. A total of 155 studies were identified, with 94 included in the meta-analysis.
What was found
Highest versus lowest handgrip strength was associated with lower risk of cardiovascular diseases (OR=0.73; 95% CI 0.67 to 0.80), type 2 diabetes mellitus (OR=0.79; 95% CI 0.68 to 0.91), musculoskeletal impairment (OR=0.65; 95% CI 0.56 to 0.76), disability (OR=0.57; 95% CI 0.47 to 0.70), anxiety (OR=0.79; 95% CI 0.63 to 0.99), depression (OR=0.70; 95% CI 0.63 to 0.78), cognitive decline (OR=0.57; 95% CI 0.44 to 0.75), dementia (OR=0.62; 95% CI 0.53 to 0.73), and Parkinson's disease (OR=0.53; 95% CI 0.31 to 0.91). A 5 kg increase in handgrip strength was associated with lower risk across most conditions. Best versus worst performance on the 5-repetition chair-stand test was associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (OR=0.80; 95% CI 0.72 to 0.88), musculoskeletal impairment (OR=0.52; 95% CI 0.37 to 0.74; each 1 s decrease was associated with 0.94 lower odds), disability (OR=0.58; 95% CI 0.41 to 0.82), depression (OR=0.63; 95% CI 0.42 to 0.95), and dementia (OR=0.68; 95% CI 0.54 to 0.85). Overall evidence quality ranged from very low to moderate.
Why it matters
Simple, low-cost field tests of muscular strength provide prognostic utility across a broad spectrum of physical, metabolic, and neurocognitive conditions in adult populations.
Limits
All included data derive from observational cohort designs, precluding causal inference. The abstract notes that overall evidence quality ranged from very low to moderate across outcomes and does not report total individual participant counts, duration of follow-up, or degree of adjustment for potential confounding factors.
Cited by
- supports Weaker grip strength is correlated with higher risks of dementia, depression, and anxiety across large populations.