Age and sex differences in controlled force exertion measured by a computing bar chart target-pursuit system

金沢大学人間社会研究域人間科学系京都薬科大学 基礎科学系 健康科学分野This study aimed to examine the age and sex differences in controlled force exertion measured by the bar chart display in 207 males (age 42.1 ± 19.8 years) and 249 females (age 41.7 ± 19.1 years) aged 15 to 86 years. The subjects matched their submaximal grip strength to changing demand values, which appeared as a moving bar chart on the display of a personal computer. The subjects performed the controlled force exertion test using the dominant hand three times with 1-min intervals (one trial was 40 sec) after one practice trial. A total of the differences between the demand value and the grip exertion value for 25 sec was used as the evaluation parameter. The errors in controlled force exertion showed a right-skewed distribution in both sexes but showed a normal distribution after logarithmic transformation (males, W =.06; females, W =.74; p >.05). In addition, the errors in controlled force exertion tended to increase constantly with age in both sexes. Significant linear regressions were identified (r2males =.88, r2females =.81), but there was no significant difference in the increase rate of both sexes. The results of the analysis of variance and multiple comparisons showed insignificant sex differences among means, except for those in individuals older than 70 years; significant differences between means in the older than 40-year-old age group and the 20-year-old age group were found in both sexes. Individual differences were almost the same in both sexes (CVmales = 20.0∼34.8, CVfemales = 17.7∼36.2). Errors in controlled force exertion showed a nonsignificant sex difference and increased gradually with age in both sexes but increased remarkably with age after 40 years of age. Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC