Associação entre nível de atividade física, preensão palmar e pressões respiratórias de estudantes universitários

Abstract

Introduction: respiratory and peripheral muscle strength is associated with functional performance and global health. Physical exercise promotes improvements in muscle strength and lung function preservation, but the intense academic routine frequently induces sedentarism among university students. Objective: to investigate the association between handgrip strength and respiratory muscle strength in healthy university students and verify if these variables are influenced by physical activity level. Methods: this was a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional, and observational study. The sample consisted of 25 healthy university students, recruited by snowball strategy. Handgrip strength (HGS), physical activity level (IPAQ), and maximal respiratory pressures (MIP and MEP) were evaluated, using correlation tests with 5% significance. Results: the sample showed physical activity levels above WHO recommendations, MIP below predicted, and HGS superior to predicted values for both sexes. There was no significant association between physical activity level and MIP (p>0.05), nor between HGS and maximal respiratory pressures (MIP and MEP) in either sex (p>0.05). Conclusion: there appears to be an independence between HGS and the pressure capacity of the ventilatory muscles in the sample, with HGS not serving as a predictor of the ventilatory pump. Habitual physical activity level was not a significant predictor or optimizer of maximal inspiratory strength in either sex, acting as an independent domain of respiratory muscle performance in this population.