Grip Strength in Healthy Israeli Adults: Comparison With Internationally Reported Normative Data

Objectives: This study had 2 primary objectives. The first was to establish normative data for grip strength for the adult population in Israel. The second objective was to compare the results of this derived Israeli normative data to internationally reported measures. Two published studies were used for comparison. One study consolidated data from 12 different studies that originated from 8 different countries. The other study was limited to data from Australia. Methodology: A total of 574 healthy adult volunteers had their grip strength tested. This study was conducted over a 3-year period (2013-2015). Testing with regard to position and technique was performed in accordance with recommendations of the American Society of Hand Therapists. Grip strength was determined using the Jamar dynamometer from the average of 3 trials for each hand. Normative data were established based on age, handedness, and sex. More specifically, to allow comparison to international data, the age was subdivided in both 5- and 10-year intervals. The results from this study were then compared with international standards using a 1-sample t test. Results: Looking first at Israeli normative data, across ages and handedness, males were 45% stronger than females. Right-handed people were on average 9% stronger on their right compared with their left side. Left-handed people had the similar average strength on both side. Compared with the Australian data, Israeli men were 3% weaker and Israeli women were 15% weaker. When the data were subdivided based on age, the Israeli population was weaker but statistical significance was reached only for men below the age of 30 years and for women below the age of 60 years. When the Israeli data were compared with the consolidated norms, Israeli men were 10% weaker and women were 23% weaker. Conclusion: Normative data for grip strength were established for the Israeli population and compared with internationally published data. The lower grip strength of the Israeli population we speculate may be related to the lower demands placed on the hands for “white-collar” occupations relative to manual labor. It may also be related to lower average population size, weight, or hand girth when comparing the populations.