Abstract

Objective. To present a description of the hand grip strength of men and women with intellectual disabilities (ID) and to compare the results with reference values in individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. Method. This study is an observational transversal study financed by the SAMU Foundation in which 122 people with ID (86 men and 36 women) were evaluated during the course of a recreation day with the participation of several associations which attend to this group. The test battery used was the Alpha-Fit Test Battery for Adults. Results. The results related to the variables of hand grip strength are presented by age groups (20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59 years old). The data show values that range between 31 kg in younger men with ID to 13.3 kg for the oldest group of women. These findings are similar to the reference values in the Spanish population with ID. However, they are much lower than the findings among the non-disabled population of the same age. Conclusion. The results showed the lower performance of people with ID in hand grip strength tests which reveals the need to carry out physical exercise or sports programs with people with ID.