2020, Volume 26, Issue 4

RELATIONSHIP OF THE NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND HANDGRIP STRENGTH IN MILITARY FLYING MEDICAL PERSONNEL

AGATA GAŹDZIŃSKA¹, PAWEŁ JAGIELSKI², MARTA TURCZYŃSKA¹, JERZY BERTRANDT³, STEFAN P. GAŹDZIŃSKI⁴
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
¹Laboratory of Dietetics and Obesity Treatment, Department of Psychophysiological Measurements and Human Factor Research, Military Institute of Aviation Medicine
²Department of Nutrition and Drug Research, Faculty of Health Science, Jagiellonian University, Medical College
³Faculty of Economic Sciences, John Paul II University of Applied Sciences in Biala Podlaska
⁴Creative Neuroscience Lab – CNS Lab, Military Institute of Aviation Medicine


Autor korenspondencyjny: AGATA GAŹDZIŃSKA; Laboratory of Dietetics and Obesity Treatment, Department of Psychophysiological Measurements and Human Factor Research, Military Institute of Aviation Medicine; email: afrotena@gmail.com

Full text

Streszczenie

Introduction: The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between nutritional status and handgrip strength (HGS) of Polish military medical flying personnel.

Methods: The study was conducted among all active members of the personnel (71 males, 13 females) in Poland. Nutritional status was assessed by anthropometric and body composition measurements.

Results: Overweight was diagnosed in 47.6% and obesity in 11,9% members. Abdominal obesity was diagnosed in 38.6% of men and 23.1% of women. In women, the mean HGS of the right and the left hand, respectively, was 33.08 ± 3.57kg and 33.69 ± 2.95kg. For men, mean HGS of right and left hand were 55.79 ± 7.62kg and 54.63 ± 7.93kg, respectively. Furthermore, for men HGS was positively correlated with skeletal muscle mass (r = 0.39), lower limb length (r = 0.33) and chest circumference measured on inspiration (r = 0.33), but not on expiration. There was no significant correlation between HGS, age, and BMI.

Conclusions: Our study adds to the body of evidence demonstrating an alarmingly high proportion of soldiers with diagnosed obesity. Military medical flight personnel had higher mean handgrip strength as compared to reference values in the male group and in the female group in the left hand. Handgrip strength appears to be related to skeletal muscle mass, similarly to other studies in the general population.

Słowa kluczowe

obesity, overweight, nutritional status, fat mass index, handgrip strength, military flying medical personnel