The physical strength of the elderly aged above 60 years is typically 10 to 30% less than the young adult population of ages between 25 to 35 years. This reduction of strength has a strong impact on the activity of the daily living (ADL) of the elderly population. There has been little research done studying on the physical strength of the elderly population in Malaysia. The objective of this study was to determine the static strength of the elderly population in Malaysia. In particular, the grip and pinch strength were investigated as these two static strengths are extensively used in their instrumental activity of daily living (IADL). The results were then compared to the strength of the university students. A total of 30 subjects (15 males and 15 females) participated in the study. Their age ranged between 60 to 83 years, with the mean of age of 67.1 years. The comparison group comprised a total of 30 university students (20 male, 10 female) aged between 23 to 24 years, with the mean of age of 23.2 years. Grip and pinch strengths of both groups were measured and analysed using a descriptive statistics. It was found that the elderly male subjects are stronger in both strength measurements than their female counterpart. The 95th percentile of the female grip strength was slightly lower than that of the male while the male pinch strength was 31.07% higher. It was also found that the male students had higher strengths compared to the females. The grip strength of the elderly was 30.66% lower than the university student, while their pinch strength was 13.42% lower. Both static strengths of the elderly were found to be lower than those of the university students. This supported the research hypotheses postulating that the static strength had a negative correlation with age. In terms of gender differences, the male subjects were found to be stronger than the females.
Elderly are exposed to physical impairment. This has a strong impact on their daily activities including
frying, which is one of the most popular cuisine preparations. The stove height and work envelope
are two major ergonomic issues in performing cooking task. There has been little research focusing
on Malaysian elderly task performing in addressing these issues. The objectives of this study were to
identify the acceptable stove height and depth and to determine the working envelope among Malaysian
elderly using anthropometric data. A total of 55 Malaysian elderly (25 male and 30 female) aged between
60 to 85 years participated in this study. Five body measurements were taken from each subject using
an anthropometer. The measurements are stature height, shoulder height, arm span, arm reach forward
and waist height. Apart from these anthropometric measurements, their present stove height was also
measured. The acquisition of stove height dimensions was performed through a series of door to door
visit of the elderly homes in Kg. Sg. Merab. These variables were used to estimate the elderly working
envelope and determine the stove height, width and depth. Data were analysed using SPSS software. The
waist height dimension was to estimate the stove height, the arm reach forward for the depth and the arm
span for the length of the table-top where the stove was placed. Meanwhile the stature and shoulder height
were used for estimating the position of the overhead compartment or placement of cooking utensils.
The 5
th
percentile was chosen since it is appropriate to accommodate 90% of the studied population. The 5
th
percentile was also applied for the setting
of the working envelope so as to provide better
reaching tolerances. Meanwhile, standard was used
to compare the present state of the studied kitchen
setting. The results show that 56.4% of the elderly
waist height is lower than the standard table-top
height which is 36 inches (91.4cm) and 36.4% of the stove height was found higher than that of the standard. This could apparently cause fatigue and
discomfort to shoulders, the neck, the arm and the back of the user. Anthropometrics measurements can
be used for estimating the stove height, length and depth. These could also calculate a space taken for
certain physical activities, such as frying task envelope. Providing a good combination of stove height,
length, depth and ergonomic working envelope could hopefully improve the elderly cooking task and
increase their quality of life.