Maximum grip strength and body composition were measured in 136 Gidra-speaking adults in Papua New Guinea. The subjects inhabited two ecologically contrasting villages, one observing traditional ways of living and one influenced by modernization. Grip strength correlates with fat-free mass and body weight in all sex/village groups. Grip strength is greater in modernized villagers than in traditional villagers, but grip strength per unit body weight is greater in traditional villagers because of their lean body composition. Regression analysis reveals that an increase of 1 kg grip strength is gained by an increase of 1.34kg and 1.67kg body weight for males and females, respectively, for traditional villagers. The corresponding values for modernized villagers are higher (1.81kg and 4.41kg), although when the individuals with body mass index greater than 24 are excluded the values become close to those for traditional villagers. On the basis of comparison with Japanese standards, grip strength per body weight of the modernized villagers, at least in males, is judged to represent the pattern in industrialized populations.

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