Grip Strength Differences among Individuals Aged 50 Years and Older From 28 European Countries: The SHARE Study

Eleni Theodoropoulou^1, , Maria Koskolou¹ and Nektarios A.M. Stavrou¹

¹School of Physical Education and Sport Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

Cite this paper:
Eleni Theodoropoulou, Maria Koskolou and Nektarios A.M. Stavrou. Grip Strength Differences among Individuals Aged 50 Years and Older From 28 European Countries: The SHARE Study. Journal of Physical Activity Research. 2025; 10(1):52-62. doi: 10.12691/jpar-10-1-7

Abstract

Background: During the aging process, grip strength (GS) tends to decrease, which is associated with disability and mortality. The current study investigated the GS differences among older individuals aged 50 years and over from 28 European countries, analyzing data from the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), a cross–national database focused on the older population. Methods: Univariate Analyses of Covariance were conducted separately for men and women who participated in the SHARE study conducted in 2022. A total of 430.720 individuals were examined, including 189.446 (43.98%) men and 241.274 (56.02%) women, with an average age of approximately 67 years (M = 66.95, SD = 9.83). Principal Findings: An age-dependent decline in GS for both genders and all countries was indicated, observing greater GS reductions with aging in southern countries, compared to North Europe. Women exhibited poorer GS compared to men in all countries. Denmark and Netherlands reported the highest GS, while southern countries like Portugal and Spain revealed the lowest GS (p < 0.01), after controlling for age, years of education, citizenship, area of location, number of chronic diseases, body mass index, mobility index and vigorous physical activity. However, the differences in GS were: (a) greater and more pronounced among northern and southern European countries, (b) smaller among northern, western and Baltic countries and (c) less marked among southern and eastern countries. Conclusion: Higher GS was observed in northwest countries, compared to southeast Europe, where lower GS was noted. This emphasizes the need for policies that promote healthy aging and improve access to healthcare services and facilities for older individuals in southeastern European countries.

Keywords:
grip strength old age Survey on Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe

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