(P03-046-24) A Novel Bluetooth-Connected Device Measuring Handgrip Strength Identifies Adult Patients As Young as Early Forties Who May Be at Nutritional Risk

Objectives: Though losses of muscle are expected across the lifespan, excessive losses (function, mass, strength) are associated with poor health outcomes and increased healthcare costs. Low muscle strength is strongly tied to poor nutrition status, and nutritional interventions are likewise linked to maintenance and restoration of muscle strength and functional status. For this study of outpatients, the main objective was to identify those at risk for low muscle strength, as evidenced by low handgrip strength (HGS) measures with risk stratified by age and sex.

Methods: This was a two-part retrospective study on HGS measures in adult outpatient clinics in India. HGS tests were conducted on dominant and non-dominant hands of patients who qualified for the study. For HGS measures, we used a validated tool, the SQUEGG device, a smart handgrip trainer, along with its companion Bluetooth-connected app, the Muscle Strength Assessment Tool (MSAT). We collected Healthcare Practitioners’ (HCP) feedback via a short digital survey on the use of the SQUEGG device + MSAT app to do HGS risk screening as an indicator of needed nutritional intervention. This work reports on part one patient data only.

Results: Nearly a third of community-living adults beginning in India exhibited low HGS among the 3036 sampled. Mean patient age was 44.2 (±14.9) years, ranging from 18-88 years. Both age and sex, independently had a significant effect on grip strength (p < 0.001), with a significant interaction between their effects (p=0.0125). Grip strength was different between women and men for each age stratum (p < 0.001) except 81-90 age group, with dominant-hand HGS in women being lower by 26% to 31% compared to men. Considering proportion of subjects with poor dominant-hand HGS, subjects above age 41 had significantly more individuals with poor handgrip strength compared to subjects below 41 years of age (21.9% vs. 36.8%, p< 0.001).

Conclusions: Findings from our sample demonstrate that poor HGS is common among adults, affecting nearly a third of adult women and men beginning as early as age 41. Given that poor HGS is one of the indicators for malnutrition, identifying poor HGS gives an opportunity to use nutritional interventions such as oral nutrition supplements to address nutrition shortfalls and to restore functional status in mid-life and beyond.

Funding Sources: This study was funded by Abbott Nutrition.