Original Research Article
Year: 2018 | Month: October | Volume: 8 | Issue: 10 | Pages: 9-14
A Study on Handgrip Strength in Pre- and Post-Menopausal Women of Amritsar on the Basis of Their Food Habits
Neha1, Shyamal Koley2
1Research Fellow, Department of Physiotherapy, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar -143005, Punjab, India
2Professor and Head, Department of Physiotherapy, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar -143005, Punjab, India
Corresponding Author: Shyamal Koley
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Menopause is the natural biological process in woman’s life and indicates the end of women reproductive functions. During this phase, there is decline in production of estrogen and progesterone hormone, which are the most vital hormones in the female body. The main objective of the study was to compare the handgrip strength in pre- and post-menopausal women on the basis of their food habits.
Methods: The present study was conducted on a total of 802 middle aged women and was selected purposively as samples from Civil Hospital, Amritsar and Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar, Punjab, India. Of those, 403 samples were the pre-menopausal and 399 post-menopausal women. Further, these women were divided into various groups on the basis of their food habits; these were vegetarian pre- and post-menopausal women, and non-vegetarian pre- and post- menopausal women. Apart from dominant and non-dominant handgrip strength, six anthropometric variables, viz., height vertex, body weight, BMI, upper arm, waist and hip circumferences were measured on all the subjects by standardized techniques.
Results: Results of the present study depicted that statistically significant differences (p<0.3-0.001) were observed between vegetarian pre- and post-menopausal women in dominant and non-dominant handgrip strength, age, body weight, height vertex, hip and waist circumferences. Statistically significant differences (p<0.02-0.002) were noted in dominant and non-dominant handgrip strength and in age only vegetarian and non-vegetarian post-menopausal women and between non-vegetarian pre- and post-menopausal women. However, statistically no significant differences were reported in vegetarian and non-vegetarian pre-menopausal women.
Conclusion: Vegetarian pre-menopausal women and non-vegetarian post-menopausal women had greater handgrip strength than vegetarian post-menopausal women and non-vegetarian post- menopausal women. Aging and physical inactivity/sedentary life style are the most important factors responsible for decrement in handgrip strength.
Key words: Handgrip strength. Vegetarian pre- and post- menopausal women. Non-vegetarian pre- and post-menopausal women.