A STUDY ON CORRELATION OF BODY MASS INDEX WITH HANDGRIP STRENGTH AND BLOOD PRESSURE INDICES AMONG YOUNG ADULTS IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE OF JHARKHAND

Background: Body mass index (BMI) is a widely used surrogate marker of nutritional and adiposity status. Handgrip strength (HGS), measured conveniently with a hand-held dynamometer, is a simple, inexpensive and reproducible indicator of overall muscular strength and general health, while blood pressure (BP) indices reflect early cardiovascular risk. Young adulthood is a formative period during which unfavourable trends in body composition and blood pressure often begin, yet region-specific data from Jharkhand remain limited. The objective is to assess the correlation of BMI with handgrip strength and blood pressure indices, and to identify associated risk factors among young adults attending a tertiary care centre of Jharkhand. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional observational study was conducted on 114 young adults aged 18–25 years, selected by consecutive sampling. Anthropometric measurements, handgrip strength (Jamar hand-held dynamometer) and blood pressure (digital sphygmomanometer) were recorded using a pre-tested proforma. Data were analysed using SPSS version 26.0, applying Pearson's correlation, Chi-square test and odds ratio with 95% confidence interval; p<0.05 was taken as statistically significant. Results: The mean BMI of participants was 23.6 ± 3.4 kg/m². A statistically significant negative correlation was observed between BMI and handgrip strength (r = -0.42, p<0.001), while BMI showed a significant positive correlation with systolic (r = 0.38, p<0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.31, p=0.001). Overweight/obese participants had significantly higher odds of low handgrip strength (OR=2.86, 95% CI 1.32–6.19) and pre-hypertension/hypertension (OR=3.41, 95% CI 1.54–7.55) compared to those with normal BMI. Sedentary lifestyle, positive family history and excess dietary salt intake emerged as important associated risk factors. Conclusion: Rising BMI among young adults is associated with declining handgrip strength and rising blood pressure. Early identification of high-risk individuals through simple bedside tools such as BMI and handgrip dynamometry can help in timely lifestyle intervention and prevention of future cardiometabolic morbidity.