Alvina Alvina, Pusparini Pusparini, Mario Mario, Yasmine Mashabi

Handgrip Strength of Public Works Personnel in West Jakarta

Introduction

Handgrip strength of public works personnel in west jakarta. Analyze handgrip strength in West Jakarta's public works personnel. Discover how age, BMI, waist/hip circumference, and fasting blood glucose are associated with muscle strength.

Abstract

Public Works Personnel (PWP) in Jakarta perform their routine duties manually instead of using equipment. Handgrip strength (HGS) measures maximum hand strength as a quality indicator for muscle strength and mass. Factors affecting muscle strength are age, sex, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC). Increased fasting blood glucose (FBG) is also associated with muscle quality, muscle strength, and physical performance. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with handgrip strength in PWP. A total of 192 male PWP from the Cengkareng district were recruited by simple random sampling. The collected data were demographics, BMI, FBG, WC, HC, and HGS. Statistical analysis was done using Pearson’s correlation test and multiple regression analysis. There was a significant positive correlation of BMI, WC, and HC with HGS (p=0.006; r=0.20, p=0.009; r=0.19, and p=0.005; r=0.20) and a significant negative correlation between age and HGS (p=0.008; r=-0.19) but not between FBG and HGS (p=0.847). Multiple regression analysis showed height, BMI, and HC positively predicting HGS (R2=0.19). Handgrip strength of public works personnel is associated with BMI, age, waist circumference, and hip circumference, but not with fasting blood glucose. Height, BMI, and hip circumference predict handgrip strength.

Review

This study provides a focused investigation into the handgrip strength (HGS) of Public Works Personnel (PWP) in West Jakarta, an occupational group noted for its manual labor demands. The research sought to identify associations between HGS and a range of demographic and anthropometric variables, including age, body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences (WC, HC), and fasting blood glucose (FBG). By recruiting 192 male PWP, the study successfully identified significant correlations of HGS with age (negative), BMI (positive), WC (positive), and HC (positive), while FBG showed no significant association. These findings offer valuable preliminary data concerning the factors influencing a key indicator of physical capacity within this specific workforce. The methodology employed, including simple random sampling within a defined occupational group, lends strength to the study's internal validity for the sampled population. The selection of PWP, whose roles are described as manually intensive, makes the assessment of HGS particularly pertinent to their occupational well-being and performance. The use of both Pearson's correlation and multiple regression analysis was appropriate, allowing for the examination of both direct associations and the combined predictive power of variables. The positive prediction of HGS by height, BMI, and HC, along with the established negative correlation with age, aligns with broader physiological understandings of muscle strength and provides a solid basis for understanding the determinants of HGS in this context. However, the study has several limitations that warrant consideration. The exclusive focus on male PWP from a single district in West Jakarta significantly restricts the generalizability of these findings to female personnel or to PWP in other regions or roles. The R-squared value of 0.19, while significant, indicates that the included predictors explain only a modest portion of the variance in HGS, suggesting that other important factors—such as specific job tasks, training levels, or overall physical activity beyond work—were not accounted for. Future research would benefit from a broader and more diverse sample, including female workers, and exploring a wider array of variables to develop a more comprehensive predictive model for HGS in this critical occupational group. Nevertheless, this study establishes a valuable baseline for understanding the physical capabilities of PWP and can inform future occupational health initiatives.

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