Abstract

Hand grip strength is often considered may predict cognitive functioning and has been established as associates of cognitive performance with individual differences in some particular cross-sectional studies. However, little is known about hand grip strength and cognitive performance in the elderly individuals, and it is not known whether changes in hand grip strength may be associated with preservation/decline in cognitive functioning. We have studied the impact of hand grip strength on cognition function in healthy kitchen workers. Participants (n = 90, age range: 25–40 years) randomly assigned in to two groups according to their nature of work: Group I-Control group (n = 47) - workers recruited for simple work such as dusting, cleaning dining tables and floor. Group II-Study group (n = 43) - workers recruited for firm work such as cooking large quantity of food, kneading dough, rolling chapattis, cut and sauté the vegetables and dish washing. For the analyses, we used at dominant and non- dominant hand, hand grip strength (HGS), reaction time task, sensory disability test (SDT) and cognitive function test (CFT) among both the groups. We observed that visual reaction time (VRT) and auditory reaction time (ART) were significantly improved in dominant hand of study group, when compare to control group, however it was comparable in non-dominant hand among both the groups. In addition to, among all control and study group female workers there was significant positive correlation between VRT & ART and significant negative correlation between at dominant hand HGS & VRT as well as between at dominant hand HGS & ART. We also observed that dominant hand HGS was a significant predictor of VRT and ART and however there was no any significant variation in body mass index (BMI), sensory disability test (SDT) and cognitive function test (CFT) among both groups. We found that muscle strength (as measured by hand grip strength) was associated with improved reaction time. Hence by using a simple muscle strength test, is one way of obtaining useful information for the development of nerve-muscle coordination. Increased handgrip strength would be associated with preservation of cognitive function.