Bekasi — A community health screening involving 280 adults in Indonesia’s industrial Bekasi Regency found relationships between handgrip strength, age, body weight, and blood pressure. The activity was conducted by Ruhdiat R.P, Suprayogi A., Al Faqih S., and Ridwansyah from the Faculty of Medicine, President University, at Botany Park, Jababeka, on February 8, 2026. The findings showed that handgrip strength tended to decline with increasing age, while body weight had the strongest positive relationship with handgrip strength. The results indicate that handgrip assessment could serve as a simple approach to support health education and early identification of declining physical function in the community.
Muscle strength is an important component of physical fitness because it contributes to a person’s ability to perform daily activities, maintain occupational productivity, and preserve physical independence. One relatively simple assessment is handgrip strength measurement. The test uses a handgrip dynamometer and does not require an invasive procedure. Because it is practical and relatively inexpensive, handgrip strength has been widely used in community health and occupational health assessments.
The issue is particularly relevant in Bekasi Regency, one of Indonesia’s major industrial areas. Many workers in manufacturing, logistics, and service sectors work long hours and have limited opportunities for regular exercise. Such work patterns may contribute to reduced physical fitness and limited activities involving the musculoskeletal system. The authors note that routine muscle-strength assessment is still rarely incorporated into community health promotion programs in industrial areas.
The screening involved 280 adults aged 17 to 65 years who were selected through simple random sampling. Participants underwent assessments of age, body weight, blood pressure, and handgrip strength. The activity was conducted as part of a community health promotion program at Botany Park, Jababeka, beginning at 6:00 a.m. on February 8, 2026. The collected data were then analyzed to examine relationships between these factors and muscle strength.
The measurements showed that participants had a mean age of 39.6 years. Their average body weight was 63.5 kilograms, while mean systolic blood pressure was 128.7 mmHg. Average handgrip strength was 27.4 kilograms. Handgrip measurements ranged from 10 to 63 kilograms, indicating substantial differences in muscular capacity among participants.
The correlation analysis found a negative relationship between age and handgrip strength, with a correlation coefficient of -0.32. In other words, handgrip strength tended to decrease as age increased. The authors associate this pattern with biological aging, including reductions in muscle mass and changes in neuromuscular function that may occur with advancing age.
Body weight, meanwhile, demonstrated the strongest positive relationship with handgrip strength, with a correlation coefficient of 0.41. Participants with higher body weight tended to have greater handgrip strength. One possible explanation is that higher body weight may reflect greater muscle mass. However, the authors emphasize that body weight does not distinguish between muscle mass and fat mass, meaning higher body weight should not automatically be interpreted as better muscular health.
Blood pressure also showed a positive relationship with handgrip strength, although the association was weaker than that of body weight. The correlation coefficient was 0.21. According to the authors, this relationship may be connected to cardiovascular function and blood circulation, which are important for delivering oxygen and nutrients to muscles during contraction.
Further regression analysis supported these patterns. Age was negatively associated with handgrip strength, with β = -0.28 and p = 0.02. Body weight showed the strongest positive contribution, with β = 0.37 and p = 0.01. Blood pressure was also positively associated with handgrip strength, with β = 0.16 and p = 0.04. All three variables were statistically significant predictors of variations in handgrip strength within the model.
According to Ruhdiat R.P and colleagues from President University, the findings can support the development of community health programs, particularly in environments with demanding work patterns such as industrial areas. Handgrip assessment can serve as a practical and non-invasive screening tool to help identify adults who may be at risk of declining physical function. The assessment can also be combined with blood pressure and body weight measurements to provide a broader picture of individual health.
From a public health perspective, the findings support programs that combine physical activity, nutritional education, healthy body composition management, blood pressure monitoring, and muscle-strength assessment. For working-age adults, maintaining physical activity and muscle health is important for preserving work capacity and quality of life. For policymakers, handgrip screening could potentially be incorporated into community health assessments and occupational health surveillance programs.
The authors nevertheless caution that the findings cannot establish cause and effect because the activity used a cross-sectional design. The study also did not directly measure body composition or include physical activity and dietary factors in the analysis. Future research is recommended to use longitudinal designs and incorporate additional variables to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting muscle strength.
Overall, the Bekasi activity demonstrates that handgrip strength measurement can be incorporated into community-based health screening. Combining muscle-strength assessment with body weight, blood pressure monitoring, and healthy lifestyle education could help identify potential declines in physical function at an earlier stage. The authors recommend continuing similar programs through workplace health promotion, direct education, and digital media to encourage physical activity and healthier lifestyles.
Author Profiles
Research Source
Article Title: Community-Based Screening of Handgrip Strength and Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Adults in an Industrial Area of Bekasi Regency
Journal: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat Formosa (JPMF)
Volume 5, Issue 4, 2026, pages 327–340.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/jpmf.v5i4.15
Journal Link: https://journaljpmf.my.id/index.php/jpmf
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