IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v265y2020ics0277953620306018.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cautionary tails of grip strength in health inequality studies: An analysis from the Canadian longitudinal study on aging

Author

Listed:
  • Asada, Yukiko
  • Grignon, Michel
  • Hurley, Jeremiah
  • Kirkland, Susan

Abstract

Self-rated health is widely used in studies of the socioeconomic gradient of health in community-based populations. Its subjectivity may lead to under- or over-estimation of a true underlying socioeconomic gradient and has increased interest in searching for alternative, objective measures of health. Grip strength has emerged as one such alternative for community-based older populations, yet no study has directly assessed the relationship between these two measures and compared their associations with socioeconomic status and health behaviours. Using 26,754 participants aged 45–85 years in the baseline data of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Comprehensive Cohort, we estimated adjusted-grip strength through indirect standardization using age, sex, height, weight, and their square terms and used ANOVA to assess the variance of adjusted-grip strength within and between each self-rated health category. We ran four separate logistic regression models, examining unhealthy tails (those reporting poor health vs. not and those at the bottom 8th percentile of adjusted-grip strength vs. above) and healthy tails (those reporting excellent health vs. not and those at the top 20th percentile of adjusted-grip strength vs. below). Stronger adjusted-grip strength correlated with better self-rated health, but only 2% of the total variance of adjusted-grip strength was explained by variance between the self-rated health categories. While self-rated health largely showed the expected socioeconomic gradients and positive relationships with health enhancing behaviours, adjusted-grip strength showed no clear, consistent associations with either socioeconomic or health behaviour variables. The results give caution about using grip strength as an objective alternative to self-rated health in studies of social inequalities in health. Empirical approaches demand careful considerations as to which dimensions of health and corresponding measures of health are most relevant to the context being studied.

Suggested Citation

  • Asada, Yukiko & Grignon, Michel & Hurley, Jeremiah & Kirkland, Susan, 2020. "Cautionary tails of grip strength in health inequality studies: An analysis from the Canadian longitudinal study on aging," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:265:y:2020:i:c:s0277953620306018
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113382
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953620306018
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113382?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kate Birnie & Rachel Cooper & Richard M Martin & Diana Kuh & Avan Aihie Sayer & Beatriz E Alvarado & Antony Bayer & Kaare Christensen & Sung-il Cho & Cyrus Cooper & Janie Corley & Leone Craig & Ian J , 2011. "Childhood Socioeconomic Position and Objectively Measured Physical Capability Levels in Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(1), pages 1-13, January.
    2. FLEURBAEY, Marc & SCHOKKAERT, Erik, 2011. "Equity in health and health care," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2011026, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    3. Evans, R.G. & Stoddart, G.L., 1990. "Producing Health, Consuming Health Care," Centre for Health Services and Policy Research 90:13r, University of British Columbia - Centre for Health Services and Policy Research..
    4. Humphries, Karin H. & van Doorslaer, Eddy, 2000. "Income-related health inequality in Canada," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 50(5), pages 663-671, March.
    5. Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2009. "Measurement of Health, the Sensitivity of the Concentration Index, and Reporting Heterogeneity," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 211, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    6. Fleurbaey, Marc & Schokkaert, Erik, 2009. "Unfair inequalities in health and health care," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 73-90, January.
    7. Karim Abu-Omar & Alfred Rütten & Jean-Marie Robine, 2004. "Self-rated health and physical activity in the European Union," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 49(4), pages 235-242, August.
    8. Hannes Kröger & Johan Fritzell & Rasmus Hoffmann, 2016. "The Association of Levels of and Decline in Grip Strength in Old Age with Trajectories of Life Course Occupational Position," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(5), pages 1-16, May.
    9. R Evans & G Stoddart, 1990. "Producing Health, Consuming Health Care," Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis Working Paper Series 1990-06, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA), McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
    10. Sherbourne, Cathy Donald & Stewart, Anita L., 1991. "The MOS social support survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 705-714, January.
    11. Hurst, L. & Stafford, M. & Cooper, R. & Hardy, R. & Richards, M. & Kuh, D., 2013. "Lifetime socioeconomic inequalities in physical and cognitive aging," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(9), pages 1641-1648.
    12. Joachim Frick & Nicolas Ziebarth, 2013. "Welfare-related health inequality: does the choice of measure matter?," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 14(3), pages 431-442, June.
    13. Layes, Audrey & Asada, Yukiko & Kephart, George, 2012. "Whiners and deniers – What does self-rated health measure?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(1), pages 1-9.
    14. Ziebarth, Nicolas, 2010. "Measurement of health, health inequality, and reporting heterogeneity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 116-124, July.
    15. Doorslaer, Eddy van & Jones, Andrew M., 2003. "Inequalities in self-reported health: validation of a new approach to measurement," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 22(1), pages 61-87, January.
    16. Evans, Robert G. & Stoddart, Gregory L., 1990. "Producing health, consuming health care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 31(12), pages 1347-1363, January.
    17. Liliya Leopold, 2019. "Health Measurement and Health Inequality Over the Life Course: A Comparison of Self-rated Health, SF-12, and Grip Strength," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(2), pages 763-784, April.
    18. Nahal Mavaddat & Richard A Parker & Simon Sanderson & Jonathan Mant & Ann Louise Kinmonth, 2014. "Relationship of Self-Rated Health with Fatal and Non-Fatal Outcomes in Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(7), pages 1-13, July.
    19. Hajizadeh, Mohammad & Mitnitski, Arnold & Rockwood, Kenneth, 2016. "Socioeconomic gradient in health in Canada: Is the gap widening or narrowing?," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(9), pages 1040-1050.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Leopold, Liliya & van Valkengoed, Irene G.M. & Engelhardt, Henriette, 2023. "Education and age trajectories of chronic conditions: Are tests of the cumulative advantage and disadvantage hypothesis biased by underreporting?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nesson, Erik T. & Robinson, Joshua J., 2019. "On the measurement of health and its effect on the measurement of health inequality," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 207-221.
    2. Liliya Leopold, 2019. "Health Measurement and Health Inequality Over the Life Course: A Comparison of Self-rated Health, SF-12, and Grip Strength," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(2), pages 763-784, April.
    3. Christine Le Clainche & Sandy Tubeuf, 2016. "Nudging, intervening or rewarding," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 15(2), pages 170-189, May.
    4. Eibich, Peter & Ziebarth, Nicolas, 2014. "Examining the Structure of Spatial Health Effects in Germany Using Hierarchical Bayes Models," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 49, pages 305-320.
    5. Fabio Pammolli & Francesco Porcelli & Francesco Vidoli & Monica Auteri & Guido Borà, 2017. "La spesa sanitaria delle Regioni in Italia - Saniregio2017," Working Papers CERM 01-2017, Competitività, Regole, Mercati (CERM).
    6. Melanie Levy, 2022. "The rise of the Swiss regulatory healthcare state: On preserving the just in the quest for the better (or less expensive?)," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(2), pages 427-447, April.
    7. Pulok, Mohammad Habibullah & van Gool, Kees & Hall, Jane, 2020. "Horizontal inequity in the utilisation of healthcare services in Australia," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(11), pages 1263-1271.
    8. Bryant, Toba & Raphael, Dennis & Schrecker, Ted & Labonte, Ronald, 2011. "Canada: A land of missed opportunity for addressing the social determinants of health," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(1), pages 44-58, June.
    9. Vincenzo Carrieri & Apostolos Davillas & Andrew M. Jones, 2023. "Equality of opportunity and the expansion of higher education in the UK," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 69(4), pages 861-885, December.
    10. Coast, Joanna, 2018. "A history that goes hand in hand: Reflections on the development of health economics and the role played by Social Science & Medicine, 1967–2017," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 227-232.
    11. Jacklin, Kristen, 2009. "Diversity within: Deconstructing Aboriginal community health in Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(5), pages 980-989, March.
    12. Shahin Shooshtari & Carol Harvey & Evelyn Ferguson & Tuula Heinonen & Syeed Khan, 2014. "Effects of Remittance Behavior on the Lives of Recent Immigrants to Canada from the Philippines: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 95-105, March.
    13. Duclos, Jean-Yves & Échevin, Damien, 2011. "Health and income: A robust comparison of Canada and the US," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 293-302, March.
    14. Eibich, Peter & Ziebarth, Nicolas R., 2014. "Analyzing regional variation in health care utilization using (rich) household microdata," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(1), pages 41-53.
    15. Chia-Mei Shih & Yu-Hua Wang & Li-Fan Liu & Jung-Hua Wu, 2020. "Profile of Long-Term Care Recipients Receiving Home and Community-Based Services and the Factors That Influence Utilization in Taiwan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-15, April.
    16. Nádia Simões & Nuno Crespo & Sandrina B. Moreira & Celeste A. Varum, 2016. "Measurement and determinants of health poverty and richness: evidence from Portugal," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 50(4), pages 1331-1358, June.
    17. Huguet, Nathalie & Kaplan, Mark S. & Feeny, David, 2008. "Socioeconomic status and health-related quality of life among elderly people: Results from the Joint Canada/United States Survey of Health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(4), pages 803-810, February.
    18. Daniela Adam & Theresa Keller & Axel Mühlbacher & Maximilian Hinse & Katja Icke & Michael Teut & Benno Brinkhaus & Thomas Reinhold, 2019. "The Value of Treatment Processes in Germany: A Discrete Choice Experiment on Patient Preferences in Complementary and Conventional Medicine," The Patient: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Springer;International Academy of Health Preference Research, vol. 12(3), pages 349-360, June.
    19. Klavus, Jan & Hakkinen, Unto, 1996. "Health care and income distribution in Finland," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 31-43, October.
    20. Nicolas R. Ziebarth & Joachim R. Frick, 2010. "Revisiting the Income-Health Nexus: The Importance of Choosing the "Right" Indicator," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 274, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:265:y:2020:i:c:s0277953620306018. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.