Associations between handgrip strength, motor tasks, and quality of life in older adults with osteoarthritis

Objectives: Data on the relationship between handgrip strength (HGS), motor functions, and quality of life (QoL) in osteoarthritis (OA) patients are unclear. We aimed to examine the association between physical performance and psychosocial QoL, as measured by the CASP-12 in older adults with OA.
Study design: The study utilized data from wave 8 of the survey of health, ageing, and retirement in Europe (SHARE).
Methods: HGS and motor activities (walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs, fatigue) were assessed as indicators of physical health. We measured QoL using the CASP-12, which captures control, autonomy, self-realization, and pleasure domains, reflecting the psychosocial aspects of mental well-being than clinical psychiatric status. Our participants included 30,923 non-OA and 7591 OA individuals aged 50 and above, from 28 European countries. Descriptive and regression approaches were employed, including reporting of regression coefficients, confidence intervals, standardized βs, and model r2.
Results: OA participants had significantly lower HGS and CASP-12 scores than non-OA participants (p < 0.05). There was a significant positive association between CASP-12 and HGS in both groups. Among non-OA, r2 = 0.071 for males and r2 = 0.062 for females (all p < 0.001). Among OA patients, r2 = 0.064 for males and r2 = 0.052 for females (all p < 0.001), indicating a modest association. Furthermore, analysis revealed a strong negative association between difficulties with motor tasks and CASP-12 scores in both OA and non-OA groups (all p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Motor activities required for daily living showed stronger associations with lower CASP-12 scores than HGS, highlighting their potential relevance to perceived QoL in older adults with OA.