The Association Between Handgrip Strength and Diabetes on Activities of Daily Living Disability in Older Mexican Americans.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the independent and joint effects of muscle weakness and diabetes on incident activities of daily living (ADL) disability in older Mexican Americans.

METHOD: A subsample of 2,270 Mexican Americans aged at least 65 years at baseline were followed for 19 years. Handgrip strength was normalized to body weight (normalized grip strength [NGS]). Weakness was defined as NGS ≤0.46 in males and ≤0.30 in females. Diabetes and ADL disability were self-reported.

RESULTS: Compared with participants that were not weak and did not have diabetes, those that had diabetes only, were weak only, and were both weak and had diabetes experienced a 1.94 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.89, 1.98]), 1.17 (CI = [1.16, 1.19]), and 2.12 (CI = [2.08, 2.16]) higher rate for ADL disability, respectively.

DISCUSSION: Muscle weakness and diabetes were independently and jointly associated with higher rates for ADL disability in older Mexican Americans.