Heavy manual work throughout the working lifetime and muscle strength among men at retirement age
Heavy manual work throughout the working lifetime and muscle strength among men at retirement age
Introduction: Reductions in heavy manual work as a consequence of mechanisation might impact adversely on muscle strength at older ages. We investigated the association between grip strength at retirement age and lifetime occupational exposure to physically demanding activities. Grip strength is an important predictor of long-term health and physical function in older people.
Methods: Grip strength (maximum of three readings in each hand) was measured in men from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study at a single examination when their mean age was 65.8 (SD 2.9) years. Associations with lifetime occupational exposure (ascertained by questionnaire) to three activities (standing/walking ≥4 hours/day; lifting ≥25 kg; and energetic work sufficient to induce sweating) were assessed by multivariable linear regression with adjustment for various potential confounders.
Results: Complete data were available from 1,418 men who had worked for at least 20 years. After adjustment for age, height and weight, those with longer exposures to walking/standing and heavy lifting had lower grip strength, but the relationship disappeared after further adjustment for confounders. Working at physical intensity sufficient to induce sweating was not significantly associated with grip strength.
Conclusions: We found no evidence that physically demanding occupational activities increase hand grip strength at normal retirement age. Any advantages of regular physical occupational activity may have been obscured by unmeasured socio-economic confounders.
muscle strength, sarcopenia, occupation, manual work
284-286
Walker-Bone, K.
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D'Angelo, S.
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Syddall, H.E.
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Palmer, K.T.
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Cooper, C.
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Coggon, D.
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Sayer, A.A.
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1 April 2016
Walker-Bone, K.
ad7d1336-ed2c-4f39-ade5-da84eb412109
D'Angelo, S.
13375ecd-1117-4b6e-99c0-32239f52eed6
Syddall, H.E.
a0181a93-8fc3-4998-a996-7963f0128328
Palmer, K.T.
0cfe63f0-1d33-40ff-ae8c-6c33601df850
Cooper, C.
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Coggon, D.
2b43ce0a-cc61-4d86-b15d-794208ffa5d3
Sayer, A.A.
fb4c2053-6d51-4fc1-9489-c3cb431b0ffb
Walker-Bone, K., D'Angelo, S., Syddall, H.E., Palmer, K.T., Cooper, C., Coggon, D. and Sayer, A.A.
(2016)
Heavy manual work throughout the working lifetime and muscle strength among men at retirement age.
Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 73 (4), .
(doi:10.1136/oemed-2015-103293).
(PMID:26896253)
Abstract
Introduction: Reductions in heavy manual work as a consequence of mechanisation might impact adversely on muscle strength at older ages. We investigated the association between grip strength at retirement age and lifetime occupational exposure to physically demanding activities. Grip strength is an important predictor of long-term health and physical function in older people.
Methods: Grip strength (maximum of three readings in each hand) was measured in men from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study at a single examination when their mean age was 65.8 (SD 2.9) years. Associations with lifetime occupational exposure (ascertained by questionnaire) to three activities (standing/walking ≥4 hours/day; lifting ≥25 kg; and energetic work sufficient to induce sweating) were assessed by multivariable linear regression with adjustment for various potential confounders.
Results: Complete data were available from 1,418 men who had worked for at least 20 years. After adjustment for age, height and weight, those with longer exposures to walking/standing and heavy lifting had lower grip strength, but the relationship disappeared after further adjustment for confounders. Working at physical intensity sufficient to induce sweating was not significantly associated with grip strength.
Conclusions: We found no evidence that physically demanding occupational activities increase hand grip strength at normal retirement age. Any advantages of regular physical occupational activity may have been obscured by unmeasured socio-economic confounders.
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Revised clean Manuscript OEM 16.1.16.docx
- Accepted Manuscript
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FINAL Figure 1Comparison of the difference between grip strength.docx
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Accepted/In Press date: 5 February 2016
e-pub ahead of print date: 19 February 2016
Published date: 1 April 2016
Keywords:
muscle strength, sarcopenia, occupation, manual work
Organisations:
Faculty of Medicine
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 387200
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/387200
ISSN: 1351-0711
PURE UUID: 4ea7bbc1-1872-46e5-94e3-bec139588aa2
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Date deposited: 16 Feb 2016 15:02
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 03:23
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Author:
S. D'Angelo
Author:
K.T. Palmer
Author:
D. Coggon
Author:
A.A. Sayer
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