Aging Research Unit, Centre for Mental Health Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
Accid Anal Prev. 2011 May;43(3):898-905. doi: 10.1016/j.aap.2010.11.012. Epub 2010 Dec 10.
This study provides much needed information on the education level of older drivers regarding the impact of health conditions and medications on personal driving safety, where they source this information, and how this knowledge influences self-regulation of driving. Random and convenience sampling secured 322 Australian drivers (63.9% males) aged 65 years and over (M = 77.35 years, SD = 7.35) who completed a telephone interview. The majority of respondents (86%) had good knowledge about health conditions (health knowledge) and driving safety, however more than 50% was classified as having poor knowledge on the effects of certain medications (medication knowledge) and driving safety. Poorer health knowledge was associated with a reduced likelihood of driving over 100 km in adjusted models. Being older and having more than one medical condition was found to increase the likelihood of self-regulation of driving. Results indicate that health knowledge was less important for predicting driving behaviour than health experience. Of great interest was that up to 85.7% of respondents reported not receiving advice about the potential impact of their medical condition and driving from their doctor. The findings indicate a need for improved dissemination of evidence-based health information and education for older drivers and their doctors.
本研究提供了有关老年人教育水平的重要信息，包括健康状况和药物对个人驾驶安全的影响、他们从何处获取这些信息以及这些知识如何影响自我驾驶调节。通过随机和便利抽样，共确定了 322 名年龄在 65 岁及以上的澳大利亚司机（63.9%为男性），他们完成了电话采访。大多数受访者（86%）对健康状况（健康知识）和驾驶安全有较好的了解，但超过 50%的人被归类为对某些药物（药物知识）和驾驶安全的影响知之甚少。在调整后的模型中，健康知识较差与驾驶超过 100 公里的可能性降低有关。研究发现，年龄较大且患有多种疾病的人更有可能自我调节驾驶。结果表明，与健康经验相比，健康知识对预测驾驶行为的重要性较低。有趣的是，多达 85.7%的受访者报告称没有从医生那里获得有关其健康状况和驾驶潜在影响的建议。研究结果表明，需要为老年司机及其医生提供更好的基于证据的健康信息和教育。
