Association of hand grip strength with psychological stress, exercise habits and body composition amongst medical students: a cross-sectional study

• Authors: Samira Barre , Laura Inyingi , Julianna Orrego Castellanos , Agastya Patel , Katarzyna A. Ruckemann-Dziurdzinska , Ewa D. Bryl , Jacek M. Witkowski

Abstracts

EN

Background
The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of hand grip strength (HGS) test in identifying highly stressed individuals and to examine the effect of exercise and lifestyle on HGS and stress measures.
Material and methods
It is cross-sectional study. Students of the Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland were asked to fill out a questionnaire, undergo body composition analysis, perform HGS test and provide a saliva sample for cortisol measurement.
Results
Self-rated stress (SRS) was significantly higher in pre-clinical years (PCY) compared to clinical years (CY). HGS was significantly lower in PCY males than CY males. Participants who performed some form of exercise had significantly higher HGS compared with those who did not exercise. A positive correlation between HGS and BMI was noted. Students with low HGS were found to have lower levels of salivary cortisol (SC). However, there was no significant difference in SC levels between PCY and CY students.
Conclusions
HGS may be a reliable method of identifying stressed individuals and promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors. HGS testing is a safe, cheap and easy to perform method for a large number of participants while being time economical.

Keywords

EN

exercise; psychological stress; medical students; Hand grip strength

• Publisher: Gdański Uniwersytet Medyczny
• Journal: European Journal of Translational and Clinical Medicine
• Year: 2024
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 33-46

Dates

published

2024

Contributors

author

Samira Barre

• Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

author

Laura Inyingi

• Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

author

Julianna Orrego Castellanos

• Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

author

Agastya Patel

• Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

author

Katarzyna A. Ruckemann-Dziurdzinska

• Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

author

Ewa D. Bryl

• Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

author

Jacek M. Witkowski

• Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland
• Department of Embryology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Poland

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Identifiers

DOI

10.31373/ejtcm/189605

Biblioteka Nauki

33897312