ASSESSMENT OF BODY COMPOSITION AND MUSCLE STRENGTH AMONG UNDERWEIGHT, NORMAL AND OVERWEIGHT/OBESE FEMALE STUDENTS OF IIUM KUANTAN

Abstract

Introduction: Muscle strength is a useful parameter of individual body strength and health and is influenced by many factors including sex, age, physical activity as well as body composition. The main objective of this study was to assess hand grip strength (HGS) among different BMI classes as well as to examine the correlation between body composition and HGS in a representative sample of young healthy adults. Methods: A total of 102 female students were recruited from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kuantan Campus Kuantan. The subjects were then divided into three groups based on their BMI (34 underweight, 34 normal and 34 overweight/obese). The anthropometry and body composition were measured using the SECA stadiometer and OMRON body fat analyzer, respectively. The HGS was assessed using Takei hand grip dynamometer. Results: The findings showed that the HGS was significantly lower in underweight as compared to the overweight/obese subjects (21.47 + 3.23 kg vs 23.31 + 3.32 kg; p<0.05). A fair positive correlation was found between BMI and HGS (p<0.05). However, in this study there was no correlation between HGS and body fat percentage or skeletal muscle mass. Conclusion: In this study, higher HGS was associated with higher BMI, but not body fat percentage and muscle mass. However, the influence of other factors such as physical activity, sex and age, on HGS should be investigated.

KEYWORDS: Muscle strength, BMI, Handgrip strength, Body fat percentage