Gender Differences in Cognitive Function and Grip Strength: a Cross-national Comparison of Four European Regions

Overview

Journal Eur J Public Health

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Public Health

Date 2018 Dec 28

PMID 30590595

Citations 29

Authors

Linda Juel Ahrenfeldt

Lasse Lybecker Scheel-Hincke

Soren Kjaergaard

Soren Moller

Kaare Christensen

Rune Lindahl-Jacobsen

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Cross-national comparison studies on gender differences have mainly focussed on life expectancy, while less research has examined differences in health across countries. We aimed to investigate gender differences in cognitive function and grip strength over age and time across European regions.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study including 51 292 men and 62 007 women aged 50 + participating in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe between 2004-05 and 2015. Linear regression models were used to examine associations.

Results: In general, women had better cognitive function than men, whereas men had higher grip strength measures. Sex differences were consistent over time, but decreased with age. Compared with men, women had higher cognitive scores at ages 50-59, corresponding to 0.17 SD (95% CI 0.14, 0.20) but slightly lower scores at ages 80-89 (0.08 SD, 95% CI 0.14, 0.00). For grip strength, the sex difference decreased from 18.8 kg (95% CI 18.5, 19.1) at ages 50-59 to 8.5 kg (95% CI 7.1, 9.9) at age 90 + . Northern Europeans had higher cognitive scores (19.6%) and grip strength measures (13.8%) than Southern Europeans. Gender differences in grip strength were similar across regions, whereas for cognitive function they varied considerably, with Southern Europe having a male advantage from ages 60-89.

Conclusion: Our results illustrate that gender differences in health depend on the selected health dimension and the age group studied, and emphasize the importance of considering regional differences in research on cognitive gender differences.

Citing Articles

Anatomical Study of the Palmaris Longus Muscle and Its Clinical Importance.

Al Risi A, Al Busaidi S, Al Aufi H, Al Hashmi L, Sirasanagandla S, Das S Diagnostics (Basel). 2025; 15(3).

PMID: 39941234 PMC: 11816445. DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics15030304.

Bidirectional transitions of sarcopenia states in older adults: The longitudinal evidence from CHARLS.

Luo Y, Zhou X, Heng T, Yang L, Zhu Y, Hu P J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2024; 15(5):1915-1929.

PMID: 39001569 PMC: 11446714. DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.13541.

Predictors of Hand Grip Strength in Adults Without Sarcopenia: Data From the NHANES, 2013-2014.

Alotaibi M Curr Dev Nutr. 2024; 8(5):102149.

PMID: 38693967 PMC: 11061696. DOI: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102149.

The Danish Aging and Cognition (DanACo) cohort.

Gronkjaer M, Mortensen E, Wimmelmann C, Flensborg-Madsen T, Osler M, Okholm G BMC Geriatr. 2024; 24(1):238.

PMID: 38454360 PMC: 10921587. DOI: 10.1186/s12877-024-04841-5.

Weak grip strength predicts higher unplanned healthcare utilization among patients with heart failure.

Poco L, Finkelstein E, Sim D, Malhotra C ESC Heart Fail. 2023; 11(1):306-314.

PMID: 37990632 PMC: 10804178. DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.14573.

References

Thinggaard M, McGue M, Jeune B, Osler M, Vaupel J, Christensen K . Survival Prognosis in Very Old Adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2016; 64(1):81-8. PMC: 4749674. DOI: 10.1111/jgs.13838. View

Christensen K, Thinggaard M, Oksuzyan A, Steenstrup T, Andersen-Ranberg K, Jeune B . Physical and cognitive functioning of people older than 90 years: a comparison of two Danish cohorts born 10 years apart. Lancet. 2013; 382(9903):1507-13. PMC: 3818336. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60777-1. View

Capitani E, Laiacona M, Basso A . Phonetically cued word-fluency, gender differences and aging: a reappraisal. Cortex. 1999; 34(5):779-83. DOI: 10.1016/s0010-9452(08)70781-0. View

Andersen-Ranberg K, Petersen I, Frederiksen H, Mackenbach J, Christensen K . Cross-national differences in grip strength among 50+ year-old Europeans: results from the SHARE study. Eur J Ageing. 2017; 6(3):227-236. PMC: 5547372. DOI: 10.1007/s10433-009-0128-6. View

Oksuzyan A, Crimmins E, Saito Y, ORand A, Vaupel J, Christensen K . Cross-national comparison of sex differences in health and mortality in Denmark, Japan and the US. Eur J Epidemiol. 2010; 25(7):471-80. PMC: 2903692. DOI: 10.1007/s10654-010-9460-6. View

McGue M, Christensen K . The heritability of cognitive functioning in very old adults: evidence from Danish twins aged 75 years and older. Psychol Aging. 2001; 16(2):272-80. DOI: 10.1037//0882-7974.16.2.272. View

Proctor D, Fauth E, Hoffman L, Hofer S, McClearn G, Berg S . Longitudinal changes in physical functional performance among the oldest old: insight from a study of Swedish twins. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2007; 18(6):517-30. DOI: 10.1007/BF03324853. View

Nybo H, Petersen H, Gaist D, Jeune B, Andersen K, McGue M . Predictors of mortality in 2,249 nonagenarians--the Danish 1905-Cohort Survey. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003; 51(10):1365-73. DOI: 10.1046/j.1532-5415.2003.51453.x. View

Crimmins E, Beltran-Sanchez H . Mortality and morbidity trends: is there compression of morbidity?. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2010; 66(1):75-86. PMC: 3001754. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbq088. View

10.

Hedges L, Nowell A . Sex differences in mental test scores, variability, and numbers of high-scoring individuals. Science. 1995; 269(5220):41-5. DOI: 10.1126/science.7604277. View

11.

Halpern D, Benbow C, Geary D, Gur R, Hyde J, Gernsbacher M . The Science of Sex Differences in Science and Mathematics. Psychol Sci Public Interest. 2014; 8(1):1-51. PMC: 4270278. DOI: 10.1111/j.1529-1006.2007.00032.x. View

12.

Frederiksen H, Hjelmborg J, Mortensen J, McGue M, Vaupel J, Christensen K . Age trajectories of grip strength: cross-sectional and longitudinal data among 8,342 Danes aged 46 to 102. Ann Epidemiol. 2006; 16(7):554-62. DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2005.10.006. View

13.

Sayer A, Kirkwood T . Grip strength and mortality: a biomarker of ageing?. Lancet. 2015; 386(9990):226-7. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)62349-7. View

14.

Borsch-Supan A, Hank K, Jurges H . A new comprehensive and international view on ageing: introducing the 'Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe'. Eur J Ageing. 2017; 2(4):245-253. PMC: 5546288. DOI: 10.1007/s10433-005-0014-9. View

15.

de Frias C, Nilsson L, Herlitz A . Sex differences in cognition are stable over a 10-year period in adulthood and old age. Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn. 2006; 13(3-4):574-87. DOI: 10.1080/13825580600678418. View

16.

Ahrenfeldt L, Lindahl-Jacobsen R, Rizzi S, Thinggaard M, Christensen K, Vaupel J . Comparison of cognitive and physical functioning of Europeans in 2004-05 and 2013. Int J Epidemiol. 2018; 47(5):1518-1528. PMC: 6208267. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyy094. View

17.

Ahrenfeldt L, Petersen I, Johnson W, Christensen K . Academic performance of opposite-sex and same-sex twins in adolescence: A Danish national cohort study. Horm Behav. 2015; 69:123-31. PMC: 4444512. DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.01.007. View

18.

Herlitz A, Airaksinen E, Nordstrom E . Sex differences in episodic memory: the impact of verbal and visuospatial ability. Neuropsychology. 1999; 13(4):590-7. DOI: 10.1037//0894-4105.13.4.590. View

19.

Oksuzyan A, Singh P, Christensen K, Jasilionis D . A Cross-National Study of the Gender Gap in Health Among Older Adults in India and China: Similarities and Disparities. Gerontologist. 2017; 58(6):1156-1165. PMC: 6455934. DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnx111. View

20.

Wheaton F, Crimmins E . Female disability disadvantage: a global perspective on sex differences in physical function and disability. Ageing Soc. 2016; 36(6):1136-1156. PMC: 4957517. DOI: 10.1017/S0144686X15000227. View