Co-Relation of Grip Strength and Inspiratory Pressure in Preterm School Going Children

Objective: To determine the correlation of grip strength and inspiratory pressure in preterm school-going children using a Jamar dynamometer and a U tube manometer. Relevance: Inspiratory pressure is a negative pressure that is generated during inhalation. Gripstrength measurement is easier to check in children, faster, requires minimal equipment. The correlation of maximum inspiratory pressure and gripstrength was already found to be correlated in middle aged individual’s for critically ill patients and who were difficult to wean off. Hence to function as a source of information for further studies on the preterm population the study is aimed to find a relationship between inspiratory pressure and gripstrength in preterm school going children. Method: A cross sectional observational study done in 52 children, were recruited by probability sampling and were included by inclusion and exclusion criteria. A U-tube manometer was used to measure each person’s maximum inspiratory pressure and a Jamar dynamometer to assess the grip strength. Analysis: To evaluate the mean and standard deviation of the corresponding groups, descriptive statistics were performed. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to find out the correlation between the variables. Results: It shows a strong correlation between chronological age and Gripstrength using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. There is significant correlation between inspiratory pressure and grip strength by Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (p=0.0021). Major Findings: The results showed significant correlation between grip strength and inspiratory pressure of preterm school going children.