Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Association between Sarcopenia, Its Defining Indices, and Driving Cessation in Older Adults

  • Published:
The journal of nutrition, health & aging

Abstract

Objectives

Driving a car is essential for older adults to support their activities of daily living and maintain their quality of life. However, physical function — which often declines with age — is a key factor to determine whether older adults can continue driving safely. As such, we sought to examine the association between sarcopenia and driving cessation in older adults.

Design

A prospective study.

Setting

A community setting.

Participants

We conducted a study including 2,874 older adult participants from the community (mean age: 71.0 ± 4.7 years [range: 65–93 years], women: 36.3%).

Measurements

We assessed whether they were still driving at baseline examination as well as their degree of sarcopenia. Sarcopenia was assessed according to the clinical definition provided by the EWGSOP2 by measuring muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance represented by gait speed. Driving cessation was determined based on driving status at the initial visit and at a follow-up examination approximately 15 months later.

Results

At the baseline assessment, there were 62 participants (2.2%) with confirmed sarcopenia and 23 participants (0.8%) with severe sarcopenia. Participants were classified into either the ongoing driving (n = 2816) or driving cessation (n = 58) group. Low muscle strength and low muscle mass were associated with driving cessation (low muscle strength: odds ratio [OR] 2.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13–3.87; low muscle mass: OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.04–3.85). Slow gait was not associated with driving cessation (OR 1.35, 95% CI 0.68–2.69). Significantly, sarcopenia was associated with driving cessation (confirmed sarcopenia: OR 4.48, 95% CI 1.63–12.29; severe sarcopenia: OR 4.46, 95% CI 1.21–16.41).

Conclusions

Sarcopenia is associated with an increased likelihood of driving cessation in community-dwelling older adults. Evaluation of physical function related to sarcopenia would be useful for judgment of the ability to drive safely among older adults.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Shah RC, Maitra K, Barnes LL, James BD, Leurgans S, Bennett DA. Relation of driving status to incident life space constriction in community-dwelling older persons: a prospective cohort study. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2012;67: 984–989.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Tsuji T, Rantakokko M, Portegijs E, Viljanen A, Rantanen T. The effect of body mass index, lower extremity performance, and use of a private car on incident life-space restriction: a two-year follow-up study. BMC Geriatr. 2018;18: 271.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Boyle PA, Buchman AS, Barnes LL, James BD, Bennett DA. Association between life space and risk of mortality in advanced age. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2010;58: 1925–1930.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Edwards JD, Lunsman M, Perkins M, Rebok GW, Roth DL. Driving cessation and health trajectories in older adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2009;64: 1290–1295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Hirai H, Ichikawa M, Kondo N, Kondo K. The risk of functional limitations after driving cessation among older Japanese adults: the JAGES cohort study. J Epidemiol. 2019.

  6. Shimada H, Makizako H, Tsutsumimoto K, Hotta R, Nakakubo S, Doi T. Driving and Incidence of Functional Limitation in Older People: A Prospective Population-Based Study. Gerontology. 2016;62: 636–643.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Foley DJ, Masaki KH, Ross GW, White LR. Driving cessation in older men with incident dementia. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2000;48: 928–930.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Gill TM, Gahbauer EA, Murphy TE, Han L, Allore HG. Risk factors and precipitants of long-term disability in community mobility: a cohort study of older persons. Ann Intern Med. 2012;156: 131–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Anstey KJ, Windsor TD, Luszcz MA, Andrews GR. Predicting driving cessation over 5 years in older adults: psychological well-being and cognitive competence are stronger predictors than physical health. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2006;54: 121–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Edwards JD, Bart E, O’Connor ML, Cissell G. Ten years down the road: predictors of driving cessation. Gerontologist. 2010;50: 393–399.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Baeyens JP, Bauer JM, et al. Sarcopenia: European consensus on definition and diagnosis: Report of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People. Age Ageing. 2010;39: 412–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Shimada H, Makizako H, Doi T, et al. Combined prevalence of frailty and mild cognitive impairment in a population of elderly Japanese people. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2013;14: 518–524.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Shimada H, Tsutsumimoto K, Lee S, et al. Driving continuity in cognitively impaired older drivers. Geriatrics & gerontology international. 2016;16: 508–514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Cruz-Jentoft AJ, Bahat G, Bauer J, et al. Sarcopenia: revised European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Age Ageing. 2019;48: 16–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Yoshida D, Suzuki T, Shimada H, et al. Using two different algorithms to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia. Geriatrics & gerontology international. 2014;14 Suppl 1: 46–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Chen LK, Liu LK, Woo J, et al. Sarcopenia in Asia: consensus report of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2014;15: 95–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Folstein MF, Folstein SE, McHugh PR. “Mini-mental state”. A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res. 1975;12: 189–198.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Fukutomi E, Okumiya K, Wada T, et al. Relationships between each category of 25-item frailty risk assessment (Kihon Checklist) and newly certified older adults under Long-Term Care Insurance: A 24-month follow-up study in a rural community in Japan. Geriatrics & gerontology international. 2015;15: 864–871.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Rosenberg IH. Sarcopenia: origins and clinical relevance. J Nutr. 1997;127: 990s–991s.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Chen LK, Woo J, Assantachai P, et al. Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia: 2019 Consensus Update on Sarcopenia Diagnosis and Treatment. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2020;21: 300–307.e302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Bond EG, Durbin LL, Cisewski JA, et al. Association between baseline frailty and driving status over time: a secondary analysis of The National Health and Aging Trends Study. Injury epidemiology. 2017;4: 9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Crowe CL, Kannoth S, Andrews H, et al. Associations of Frailty Status with Low-Mileage Driving and Driving Cessation in a Cohort of Older Drivers. Geriatrics (Basel). 2020;5.

  23. Fried LP, Tangen CM, Walston J, et al. Frailty in older adults: evidence for a phenotype. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2001;56: M146–156.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Cisewski JA, Durbin LL, Bond EG, et al. Reduced Lower Extremity Functioning Is Associated With an Increased Rate of Being a Nondriver: The National Health and Aging Trends Study. Phys Ther. 2019;99: 862–869.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Sims RV, Ahmed A, Sawyer P, Allman RM. Self-reported health and driving cessation in community-dwelling older drivers. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2007;62: 789–793.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Guralnik JM, Simonsick EM, Ferrucci L, et al. A short physical performance battery assessing lower extremity function: association with self-reported disability and prediction of mortality and nursing home admission. J Gerontol. 1994;49: M85–94.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Margolis KL, Kerani RP, McGovern P, Songer T, Cauley JA, Ensrud KE. Risk factors for motor vehicle crashes in older women. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2002;57: M186–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Sims RV, McGwin G, Jr., Allman RM, Ball K, Owsley C. Exploratory study of incident vehicle crashes among older drivers. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2000;55: M22–27.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Sims RV, Owsley C, Allman RM, Ball K, Smoot TM. A preliminary assessment of the medical and functional factors associated with vehicle crashes by older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1998;46: 556–561.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

We thank the Obu city and Takahama city office for help with participant recruitment.

Funding

Funding: This work was supported by a Health Labour Sciences Research Grant (H23-tyoujyu-ippan-001), a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) (grant number 23300205), and Research Funding for Longevity Sciences (22-16, 30–7) from the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Japan.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Gerontology, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430, Morioka, Obu, Aichi, 474-8511, Japan

    Takehiko Doi, K. Tsutsumimoto, H. Ishii, S. Nakakubo, S. Kurita & H. Shimada

Authors
  1. Takehiko Doi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K. Tsutsumimoto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. H. Ishii
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. S. Nakakubo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. S. Kurita
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. H. Shimada
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Takehiko Doi.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None of the authors have any financial, personal, or potential conflict of interest with the material presented in this article.

Ethical standards: Ethical standards for epidemiological study were adhered to according to guidelines from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Doi, T., Tsutsumimoto, K., Ishii, H. et al. Association between Sarcopenia, Its Defining Indices, and Driving Cessation in Older Adults. J Nutr Health Aging 25, 462–466 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-020-1554-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12603-020-1554-6

Key words

Search

Navigation