Psychomotor speed and physical activity in 75-year-old residents in three Nordic localities

Psychomotor speed was studied in samples of 75-year-old men and women in three Nordic localities, namely Glostrup (Denmark), Gothenburg (Sweden), and Jyväskylä (Finland). Both simple and multi-choice reaction and movement time tests were applied using visual and auditory stimuli. The aim of the present report was to analyze the role of habitual physical activity and physical fitness as associates of psychomotor speed. The results indicated a higher psychomotor speed in the physically more active and, in most cases, fitter subjects in both the simple and more complex tasks, a higher speed of performance in men compared to women, and, to some extent, more favorable values in Gothenburg and Jyväskylä than in Glostrup. The overall findings suggest that habitual physical activity may enhance psychomotor speed in elderly subjects. Basic differences in activity did not, however, explain the differences in psychomotor speed observed between the localities or between the sexes.