Browsing by Author "Garza, Cecilia"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Object shape affects hand grip function for heavy objects in younger and older adults
    (Taylor & Francis, 2021) Cruz, Jazmin; Garcia, Mario; Garza, Cecilia; DeLucia, Patricia R.; Yang, James; National Science Foundation, Award #1853936
    Hand-grip function while lifting objects is essential for performing everyday tasks. The Box and Block Test (BBT) has been used to assess hand-grip function and dexterity, but only light objects have been used. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of block surface, shape, age, and sex on hand dexterity during the movement of heavy blocks in the BBT. Forty healthy participants comprised of a younger group of 10 males (M =  22.50 years, SD = 2.01) and 10 females (M  =  22.20 years, SD = 2.66) between 20 and 30-years-old, and an older group of 10 males (M = 55.80 years, SD = 3.19) and 10 females (M = 55.90 years, SD = 2.56) between 50 and 60-years-old, performed the BBT using steel objects of different shapes (cylindrical and cubic) and different surfaces (plain steel, black spray-painted steel, and yellow non-slip spray-painted steel). The results indicated that repetition and shape had significant effects on the BBT score. Previous researchers have found that surface textures, age, and sex influenced hand dexterity for light objects, but these effects were not discovered in the current study. These findings suggest that shape should take priority over age, sex, and surface texture when designing tools to improve user handling.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Effect of Object Surfaces and Shapes on Hand Grip Function for Heavy Objects
    (Springer, 2019) Garcia, Mario; Cruz, Jazmin; Garza, Cecilia; DeLucia, Patricia; Yang, James; National Science Foundation, Award #1853936
    Successful grasp, transfer, and release of objects with the hand are important movements for completing everyday tasks. This study’s objective is to understand the effect of an object’s surface and shape on hand grip function for heavy objects in a young age group. For their functional prevalence and significance, grasp and release movements have been incorporated into many clinical hand function assessments, such as the Box and Block Test (BBT), a common test used to assess people’s hand grip function. In the BBT, subjects transport a block from one side of a box to the other while crossing a partition and repeat the procedure as fast as possible. In this study we measured performance on the BBT in 20 right handed subjects between ages 20 to 30 years old. There were no statistically significant effects of object surfaces and shapes on hand grip function for heavy objects.