Abstract
Background: The number of middle-aged and elderly cancer survivors is rising. Metabolic syndrome, which has been established as an important risk factor for mortality and cardiovascular disease, has also been linked to quality of life in middle-aged and elderly cancer survivors. Recent studies documented a relationship between handgrip strength and metabolic syndrome.
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between relative handgrip strength in middle-aged and elderly cancer survivors and metabolic syndrome in a national population-based sample from Korea.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional, secondary descriptive analysis of data from the sixth to seventh (2014-2018) Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI-VII). A final total of 1096 cancer survivors aged 45 years and older were selected.
Results: Lower relative handgrip strength was linked to a higher risk of metabolic syndrome. For men, the adjusted odds ratio for having metabolic syndrome in individuals with a relative handgrip strength score of the 2 Quartile was 4.43 (95% confidence interval, 2.25-8.71) compared with the 4 Quartile (reference) (P < .001), whereas for women, this was 3.67 (95% confidence interval, 2.06-6.53) (P < .001).
Conclusions: Lower relative handgrip strength is correlated with components of metabolic syndrome and is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome among middle-aged and elderly cancer survivors.
Implications for Practice: Physicians and nurses need to identify and monitor the handgrip strength for managing the risk of metabolic syndrome among middle-aged and elderly cancer survivors. Preventive and therapeutic programs that focus on handgrip strength should be developed to prevent metabolic syndrome during their rehabilitation.