Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40545251›Full record

ArticlePsychogeriatrics : the official journal of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society2025

From Breath to Strength: Does Mindfulness Improve Handgrip Strength Among Older Adults in India? A Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

T Muhammad, Manacy Pai, Waad K Ali, Boadi Agyekum, Shobhit Srivastava

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Psychogeriatrics : the official journal of the Japanese Psychogeriatric Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

T MuhammadCenter for Healthy Aging, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1486-7038
Manacy PaiDepartment of Sociology and Criminology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3608-3859
Waad K AliDepartment of Geography, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3482-5396
Boadi AgyekumSchool of Continuing and Distance Education, College of Education, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2602-1718
Shobhit SrivastavaProject Concern International, Delhi, India.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7138-4916

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe integration of mindfulness activities into the daily lives of older adults has demonstrated profound benefits for their overall well-being and vitality. However, evidence on how mindfulness correlates with muscle strength in older adults remains limited. To fill this gap, we explored the association between mindfulness activities and handgrip strength (HGS) in older adults in India. We also examined whether this association varies by sex.

methodsWe employed a propensity score matching technique, leveraging data from the nationally representative Longitudinal Aging Study in India (2017-2018), comprising 27 071 adults aged 60 and above. HGS was measured using a handheld Smedley Hand Dynamometer while participants self-reported their engagement in mindfulness activities.

resultsSeventeen % of the men and 11.5% of the women engaged in mindfulness activities. Analysis of the matched sample revealed that the average treatment effect (ATE) that represents the average effect across the entire population was 1.28 kg for men and 0.60 kg for women, indicating that, on average, participation in mindfulness activities was associated with modest improvements in HGS for both sexes. Further, in the PSM matched regression models, for men, engagement in mindfulness activities was consistently associated with higher HGS across all models including the average treatment effect on the treated (ATT), on the untreated (ATU), and ATE, with the largest effect seen in the ATE model (β = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.77-1.40). For women, the association was weaker and significant only in the unmatched and ATE models.

conclusionsEngagement in mindfulness activities was associated with modest but meaningful improvements in HGS among older adults in India, with the associations being much more pronounced in older Indian men. These findings underscore the significance of integrating mindfulness practices into public health initiatives aimed at promoting healthier aging.

Indexed as

AgingHand StrengthMindfulnessAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansIndiaLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedPropensity Scoreaginghandgrip strengthIndiamindfulness activities

Identifiers

PMID40545251
PMCPMC12182966

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.