Gender differences in back muscle strength and physical functions among community-dwelling elderly

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine gender differences in back muscle strength and various physical functions among community-dwelling elderly. Subjects were 145 community-dwelling elderly persons (79 males and 66 females). Back muscle strength, grip strength, quadriceps strength, number of sit-ups, forward bending in a long sitting position, and time able to stand on one leg were evaluated for comparison by gender. The comparison of the physical functions demonstrated that the males had higher scores for back muscle strength, grip strength, quadriceps strength, and number of sit-ups than the females. The females had higher scores for forward bending in a long sitting position than the males. No significant gender difference was noted in time abletostandon one leg. Thus, gender differences were noted for back muscle strength, as well as upper and lower extremity and trunk muscle strengths. The gender differences in the physical functions were more significant for the trunk muscle strengths, such as number of sit-ups and back muscle strength, than the upper and lower extremity muscle strengths.