Hand grip strength and cognitive dysfunction amongst older Africans in Nigeria

PLoS One. 2026 Feb 27;21(2):e0342598. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0342598. eCollection 2026.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The relationship between physical and cognitive health among Africans, known for a rising incidence of frailty, cardiometabolic, and cognitive disorders, is unclear. We investigated the relationship between hand grip strength (HGS), and cognitive impairment among older adults in an urban settlement in Ibadan, South West Nigeria.

METHODS: In this study, we assessed 608 participants from the Vascular heAlth, fraiLty, and cognItion in Ageing Nigerians sTudy [VALIANT] - a population-based cohort of 1021 older persons in Ibadan, a city in Southwestern Nigeria. They were recruited through a multi-stage, stratified cluster random sampling method. Data on HGS were obtained using a digital hand dynamometer while cognitive function was assessed via a consensus diagnosis. The relationship between cognitive impairment and HGS was investigated using a multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS: The mean (SD) age of the study participants was 64.6 ± 11.5 years and 67.6% were females. The proportion of participants with cognitive dysfunction was 22.9%, while the mean (SD) HGS (in kg) was 18.16 (8.06). The mean (SD) HGS was lower among participants with cognitive dysfunction (13.44 ± 5.45) compared to those without cognitive impairment (19.58 ± 8.38; p-value <0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, clinical frailty, level of education, and other metabolic risk markers, high HGS showed a protective association with cognitive impairment, aORs (95%CI) 0.91 (0.87-0.95). This protective association [aORs (95% CI)] was consistent for individuals aged <65 years [0.87 (0.80-0.94] and ≥65 years [0.90 (0.85-0.96)], as well as males 0.88 (0.78-0.99) and females 0.91 (0.84-0.99).

CONCLUSIONS: HGS was independently associated with cognitive impairment, buttressing the intricate link between physical and cognitive health in this unique West African population. Future work will explore the predictive ability of grip strength as an early indirect non-invasive biomarker of incident cognitive decline and the utility of targeted resistance training exercises in the primary prevention of neurocognitive disorders.

PMID:41758795 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0342598