Multifactorial assessment of braking time predictors in a driving simulator among older adults according to gender

• Published in: Clinics (São Paulo, Brazil) Brazil), 2024-01, Vol.79, p.100405, Article 100405
• Main Authors: De Biase, Maria Eugenia Mayr, Alonso, Angelica Castilho, da Silva, Reinaldo Nonato, Soares, Sara Moutinho, Canonica, Alexandra Carolina, Belini, Alessandra Pricila dos Reis, Soares-Junior, Jose Maria, Baracat, Edmund Chada, Busse, Alexandre Leopold, Jacob-Filho, Wilson, Brech, Guilherme Carlos, Greve, Júlia Maria D'Andrea
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Automobile Driving - psychology; Cognition - physiology; Computer Simulation; Cross-Sectional Studies; Driving a Vehicle; Female; Hand Strength - physiology; Humans; Linear Models; Male; MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL; Motor Skills - physiology; Older Adults; Original; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Reaction Time; Reaction Time - physiology; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Time Factors
• ISSN: 1807-5932; 1980-5322; 1980-5322
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinsp.2024.100405

•Sociodemographic, motor, visual and cognitive variables can predict the braking time.•In women muscle strength for predict the braking time.•In men cognitive conditions predict the braking time. Vehicle driving depends on the integration of motor, visual, and cognitive skills to respond appropriately to different situations that occur in traffic. To analyze a model of performance predictor for braking time in the driving simulator, using a battery of tests divided by gender. Methods: Selected were 100 male drivers with a mean age of 72.6 ± 5.7 years. Sociodemographic variables, braking time in the driving simulator, and motor, visual, and cognitive skills were evaluated. Comparing genders, men were older than women (p = 0.002) and had longer driving times (p = 0.001). Men had more strength in hand grip (p ≤ 0.001). In the linear regression analysis, the model explained 68 % of the braking time in men and 50.8 % in women. In the stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, the variable that remained in the model was the strength of the right plantar flexors, which explained 13 % of the braking time in women and men, and the cognitive variables explained 38.9 %. Sociodemographic, motor, visual, and cognitive variables, explained a substantial portion of the variability in braking time for both older women and men, the specific variables driving this performance differed between the sexes. For older women, factors such as muscle strength emerged as critical determinants of braking ability, highlighting the importance of physical health in maintaining driving skills. On the other hand, cognitive conditions emerged as the primary predictor of braking performance in older men, underscoring the role of mental acuity and decision-making processes in safe driving.