Predictive Validity of Handgrip Strength, Vertical Jump Power, and Plank Time in the Identification of Pediatric Sarcopenia

• Published in: Measurement in physical education and exercise science Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 361 - 370
• Main Authors: Baptista, Fátima, Zymbal, Vera, Janz, Kathleen F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Routledge 02.10.2022; Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Body Composition; Body Height; Body Weight; children; Diseases; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Human Body; muscle; Muscular Strength; musculoskeletal fitness; Pediatrics; Physical Fitness; Preadolescents; Predictive Validity; Sarcopenia; Teenagers; Test Validity; Tests; Validity; Portugal
• ISSN: 1091-367X; 1532-7841
• DOI: 10.1080/1091367X.2021.1987242

This study examined the predictive validity of musculoskeletal fitness tests for identifying sarcopenia in youth. The sample was 529 participants age 10 to 18 years. Indices included: total lean body mass (LBM) normalized for height (LBM index, LBMI, kg/m 2 ), appendicular LBMI (aLBMI, kg/m 2 ), and LBM to fat body mass (FBM) ratio (LBM/FBM). Lean and fat tissue were measured via DXA. The cutoff value for sarcopenia was - 2.0 standard deviations ≤ mean for age and sex. Fitness was assessed using handgrip, plank, and vertical jump tests. Variables were standardized using the lambda-mu-sigma (LMS) method. By sex, analysis included the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity (Se), and specificity (Sp). The ROC curves for aLBMI was highly accurate (AUCs ≥ 0.90, Se and Sp = 86-88%) for vertical jump and moderately accurate for handgrip (AUCs = 0.87-0.88, Se and Sp = 71-75%). Fitness tests can be used to identify pediatric sarcopenia.