Road injuries are among the top six leading causes of deaths worldwide, especially vulnerable are senior pedestrians. A variety of converging factors like senior frailty, slow walking speed, decrease resilience to the demands of the walking task and propensity to fall, impose great risks for the increasing population of adults older than 60 years. These risks can be broadly categorized into two dimensions.
- Seniors face the direct impact of trauma and associated disability that influences their highly valued independence and quality of life.
- The fear of being involved in such traumatic events could prevent them from adopting active lifestyles, including active travel modalities like cycling and walking.
The objective of this project is to understand both, the scientific estimation and the psychological subjective perceptions to the risks of pedestrian trauma in adults older than 60 years and how this might impact behavioural intentions of active travel. This could have important implications for seniors pedestrian-friendly road design, behavioural interventions, and ethical risk communication when promoting active travel among seniors.
Funding / Grants
- QUT Tuition Fee Scholarship/ ATN South American Scholarship (2019 - 2021)
Publications
- Rod, J. E., King, Mark, Senserrick, Teresa, Oviedo-Trespalacios, Oscar (2021) Health implications of age and gender injury patterns of non-vehicle pedestrian trauma. Journal of Transport and Health, 22, pp.Article number: 101130.
