Associations between grip strength of parents and their 4-year-old children: findings from the Southampton Women's Survey

Inskip, Hazel M., Macdonald-Wallis, Corrie, Kapasi, Tasneem, Robinson, Siân M., Godfrey, Keith M., Cooper, Cyrus, Harvey, Nicholas C. and Aihie Sayer, Avan (2012) Associations between grip strength of parents and their 4-year-old children: findings from the Southampton Women's Survey. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, 26 (1), 27-33. (doi:10.1111/j.1365-3016.2011.01231.x). (PMID:22150705)

Abstract

Relationships between birthweight and grip strength throughout the life course
suggest that early influences on the growth and development of muscle are important
for long-term muscle function. However, little is known about parental influences on
children’s grip strength. We have explored this in the Southampton Women’s Survey,
a prospective general population cohort study from before conception through childhood.
Grip strength was measured using a Jamar handgrip dynamometer in the
mother at 19 weeks’ gestation and her partner, and in the child at age 4 years. Prepregnancy
heights and weights were measured in the mothers; reported weights and
measured heights were available for the fathers.
Complete data on parents and children were available for 444 trios. In univariable
analyses, both parents’ grip strengths were significantly associated with that of the
child (r = 0.17, P < 0.001 for mothers; r = 0.15, P = 0.002 for fathers). These correlations
were similar to that between the grip strength of the mothers and the fathers (r = 0.17,
P < 0.001). In the multivariable model, after adjustment for child’s height and physical
activity, the correlations with the child’s grip strength were attenuated, being 0.10
(P = 0.02) and 0.11 (P = 0.01) for mothers’ and fathers’ grip strength respectively. The
findings show that grip strength of each parent is associated with that of the child,
indicating that heritable influences and the shared family environment influence the
development of muscle strength. This contributes to our understanding of the role of
heritable and environmental factors on early muscle growth and development, which
are important for muscle function across the life course.

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Contributors

Author: Hazel M. Inskip

Author: Siân M. Robinson

Author: Keith M. Godfrey

Author: Cyrus Cooper

Author: Nicholas C. Harvey

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