Aging and Health and Impact on Driving Clinical Trial
Official title:
The CIHR Team in Driving in Older Persons (Candrive II) Research Program
The following study is designed in order to effectively collaborate and coordinate
information amongst colleagues to advance knowledge on information related to older drivers.
Candrive is dedicated to improving the safety and quality of life of older drivers. The
major objective is to develop a valid, easy to use in office screening tool that will help
clinicians identify older drivers who need further assessment of their driving. Over the
course of the study, the goal will be to provide enough data to establish findings relating
to knowledge generation, translation of research into action, training and sustainability.
It is our hope that the research process will translate to help increase the knowledge of
public policy makers, clinicians and the general public. A 5 year study will create an
opportunity to document the natural course of an older adult's driving patterns up until
driving cessation. This will not only provide data for road safety but also help understand
the psychosocial factors leading to driving cessation. The data relating to psychosocial
factors may also lead the way in establishing ways of extending the safe driving period for
older adults.
The investigators hypothesize that the knowledge derived from this interdisciplinary
research will be used by transportation policy makers, clinicians, and general public to
improve safety and quality of life for older drivers.
Driving a motor vehicle has become an everyday necessity in modern Canadian culture. The
privilege of maintaining a valid driver's license promotes an independent lifestyle
(Voelker, 1999). Since driving is a demanding task that requires a high level of mental and
physical skills, it is critical that those who obtain a valid driver's license are medically
fit to operate a motor vehicle. Adverse health conditions make driving difficult based on
the high cognitive and physical demand (Man-Son-Hing, 2007, Marshall, 2008). The loss of
driving privileges due to chronic health conditions can have a negative effect on an
individual's quality of life. These individuals require greater community support and suffer
from low self-esteem (Fonda, 2001, Ragland, 2004, Ansley et al., 2004). As much as it is
desirable to promote independence, the safety implications of driving require careful
consideration.
In Canada, persons over the age of 65 represent the fastest growing segment of the
population. This age group is predicted to make up 24 % of the total population by the year
2030 (CMA Journal, 1994, Stats Can, 2005). As a result, the number of older persons holding
a driver's license has increased in both percentage and absolute terms (Ont Road Safety,
2004, Transport Can, 2001, Ragland, 2004, Ansley et al., 2004). Therefore, it is not
surprising that those over 70 years of age have the highest crash rates per mile driven
(Brorsson, 1989, Stutts & Wilkins, 2003, Gresset & Meyer, 1994, Cotrell & Wild, 1999, Rizzo
et al., 2001, Meddinger-Rapport, 2002, Ansley et al., 2004).
Candrive is an interdisciplinary health research program dedicated to improving the safety
of older drivers in Canada. The members of Candrive believe that establishing a
comprehensive approach to aging driver issues will reduce the morbidity and mortality
associated with motor vehicle crashes and allow older Canadian drivers to maintain their
independence and healthy lifestyles.
A major focus of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Team Grant is to conduct
the Common Cohort study, a study in which 1000 drivers age 70 or older will be recruited and
followed for 5 years. The Common Cohort study involves 7 sites (Victoria, Winnipeg, Thunder
Bay, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal) in 4 provinces. Participants in the Common
Cohort study will undergo comprehensive annual assessments as well as having their driving
patterns monitored for 5 years. One of the major objectives of the Common Cohort study will
be the development of a valid, easy-to-use in-office screening tool that will help
clinicians identify older drivers who may need further assessment of their driving ability.
The vision of Candrive is to use a national interdisciplinary research approach to improve
the safety and health-related quality-of-life of older drivers. Collaboration with key
stakeholders throughout the process ensures that research products will translate into
public policy and clinical practice.
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