Abstract:
BACKGROUND: For the ergonomic design of products and workplaces,
knowledge about e.g. the physical strength or hand preference of the target
population is helpful. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to gather data about isometric
hand force and hand preference of a large sample of the population in
Germany. METHODS: The isometric maximum force was determined in one-handed
pulling (with support for the other hand), gripping and handling a
screwdriver (supination) for both hands. Other factors such as age, gender,
hand preference and occupation were documented in a standardized
questionnaire. RESULTS: 1,207 (428 female, 779 male) subjects between 5 and 91
years participated in this study. On average, females reach 2/3 of the
strength level of males. The results do not show any significant influence
of age on the maximum isometric force in the age groups between 20 and 59
years, but high intra age group differences occur. CONCLUSIONS: On average, for all subjects the preferred hand is
stronger. The difference between the dominant and the subdominant hand
ranges between 1% and 11% on average depending on the type of force
exertion, hand preference and gender. Nevertheless, a very large variation
of the side differences and strength levels within the types of handedness
exists.
Keywords: Physical strength, age, gender, hand preference
