Cardiorespiratory fitness and sex assigned at birth contribute to brake reaction time in older adults. (June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Johnson, Nathan F.
• Is Part Of: Journal of transport & health. Volume 17(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Subjects: Driving -- Aging -- Fitness -- Mobility; Transportation -- Health aspects -- Periodicals; Transportation -- Periodicals; Public Health -- Periodicals; Noise, Transportation -- Periodicals; Air Pollutants -- Periodicals; 388
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jth.2020.100858
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2214-1405

Abstract

Abstract: Introduction: Age-related increases in reaction time (RT) are pervasive. Driver RT is a crucial component of roadway safety. Superior cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with faster RTs on a variety of behavioral tasks. Driver RT, as with any RT measure, is comprised of constituent components that contribute to a total response time (TT). Simple RT (sRT) is comprised of the requisite sensory and central processing of TT. Movement time (MT) is comprised of the requisite movement of a particular behavioral response (e.g., moving your foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal). This study aimed to determine the strongest predictor of constituent components of driver RT on a brake onset test. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis. Predictor variables included CRF, age and sex. Participants were 50 community-dwelling older adults between the ages of 60 and 77 (mean age = 66.5 years, SD = 4.1). Maximal graded exercise tests were used to assess CRF. A driving simulator was used to assess constituent components of driving-related RT. Results : Findings indicated that CRF was the largest contributor to sRT variance (beta = −0.35, p = 0.03). Sex was the largest contributor to MT (beta = −0.44, p = 0.003) and TT (beta = −0.28, 0.05) variance. CRF also demonstrated a marginal contribution to TT variance (beta = −0.25, p = 0.08). Age did not significantly contribute to sRT, MT or TT. Conclusions: Age-related increases in RT can jeopardize roadway safety. Findings from this study demonstrate that a modifiable lifestyle variable may have the ability to reduce roadway risk by improving constituent components of driver RT. Highlights: Cardiorespiratory fitness is related to driver reaction time in older adults. Clinicians need to emphasize the importance of an active lifestyle in late adulthood. Fitness should be considered when evaluating driving-related mobility.