Effect of Driver's License Status on the Health and Lifestyle of Elderly Residents in Areas With Heavy Snowfall

Abstract

　　An anonymous mail survey was conducted with 2000 elderly residents (≥ 70 years) of areas with heavy snowfall to assess differences in health and lifestyle between those with and without a driver’s license as well as the effects of voluntary license surrender. Responses from 1101 residents with complete demographic and license status data were analyzed. The survey showed that 63.7% had a driver's license, 15.4% had voluntarily surrendered their license, and 20.9% had never had a license. Compared with those who had surrendered their license or never had a license, those who had a license were younger, had higher scores on the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (TMIG) index of competence and a social capital scale, had better selfrated health and life satisfaction, and had participated in more activities over the past year. Among those who had surrendered their license, the women were younger than the men, and were more likely to be working and had better self-rated health and a higher score on the TMIG index of competence. Men who had surrendered their license more frequently reported “feeling calmer” than women, and women more frequently reported “spending more time working in the fields” than men. Over 60% of both men and women reported having fewer opportunities to leave their house. Among those who had a driver's license, about 40% reported that they wanted to keep driving as long as possible because not having a license would be inconvenient. These results suggest that it is important for people living in areas with heavy snowfall who have surrendered their license to secure another means of leaving their house due to the need to have a car for transportation in these areas.