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Morrissey, Sol, Jeffs, Stephen 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1122-1012, Gillings, Rachel, Khondoker, Mizanur ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1801-1635, Patel, Martyn, Fisher-Morris, Mary, Manley, Ed and Hornberger, Michael ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2214-3788
(2024)
The impact of spatial orientation changes on driving behavior in healthy aging.
Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences, 79 (3).
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Abstract
Objectives: Global cognitive changes in older age affect driving behavior and road safety, but how spatial orientation differences affect driving behaviors is unknown on a population level, despite clear implications for driving policy and evaluation during aging. The present study aimed to establish how spatial navigation changes affect driving behavior and road safety within a large cohort of older adults. Methods: Eight hundred and four participants (mean age: 71.05) were recruited for a prospective cohort study. Participants self-reported driving behavior followed by spatial orientation (allocentric and egocentric) testing and a broader online cognitive battery (visuomotor speed, processing speed, executive functioning, spatial working memory, episodic memory, visuospatial functioning). Results: Spatial orientation performance significantly predicted driving difficulty and frequency. Experiencing more driving difficulty was associated with worse allocentric spatial orientation, processing speed, and source memory performance. Similarly, avoiding challenging driving situations was associated with worse spatial orientation and episodic memory. Allocentric spatial orientation was the only cognitive domain consistently affecting driving behavior in under 70 and over 70 age groups, a common age threshold for driving evaluation in older age. Discussion: We established for the first time that worse spatial orientation performance predicted increased driving difficulty and avoidance of challenging situations within an older adult cohort. Deficits in spatial orientation emerge as a robust indicator of driving performance in older age, which should be considered in future aging driving assessments, as it has clear relevance for road safety within the aging population.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Additional Information: | Data Availability: The dataset used for analyses and findings within this manuscript is available at: doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/52MJC (https://osf.io/52mjc/). This study was not pre-registered. Funding information: This work was supported by the UK Department for Transport (grant number: R208830). This study is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East of England at Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. S. Morrissey’s studentship is jointly funded by the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of East Anglia (United Kingdom), and the Earle and Stuart Charitable Trust. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care (United Kingdom). |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | cognition,online cognitive assessment,public health,road safety,health(social science),life-span and life-course studies,sociology and political science,sdg 3 - good health and well-being ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3300/3306 |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School |
| UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Nutrition and Preventive Medicine Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Norwich Epidemiology Centre Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Norwich Epidemiology Centre Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Epidemiology and Public Health Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Population Health Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Lifespan Health Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Norwich Institute for Healthy Aging Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Mental Health |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Apr 2024 11:30 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Apr 2024 08:30 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/94995 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/geronb/gbad188 |
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