Longitudinal Associations Between Changes in Physical Function and Driving Mobility Behaviors of Older Adults.

The objective of this longitudinal study was to examine time-varying correlations between multiple indexes of physical function and driving mobility in older adults across 5 years. The participants were older drivers aged 65 to 91 (M = 73.6 ± 5.78) who were randomly assigned to the no-contact control arm of the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly Study (N = 598). The driving mobility outcomes were self-reported driving space, driving exposure, driving frequency, and weekly mileage assessed at baseline and first, second, third, and fifth follow-up visits. Physical functioning measures included grip strength, the turn 360 test, and self-reported physical function. Multilevel models examined relationships between changes in physical functioning and driving mobility outcomes over 5 years. The results indicated that driving space and driving frequency decreased over time, especially for older individuals. Changes in physical function were positively related to changes in driving mobil...