Texting & Driving, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, And Obesity In Men And Women

PURPOSE: Low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is a strong risk factor for chronic disease and premature mortality. Similarly, distracted driving is a risk factor for injury and accidental death. Both risk factors might be related in more ways than one. Specifically, we propose that both CRF and distracted driving could be explained by an individual’s low self-regulation and its downstream consequences in terms of risk-taking and impulsive behavior. However, it is unclear whether adults who tend to text and drive also engage in other vice behaviors (e.g., excessive drinking) or exhibit other aspects of good or poor health. In this study, we examined the association of texting while driving with tobacco and excessive alcohol use, CRF, and body mass index (BMI) in men and women. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 10,457 adults aged 20-75 years enrolled in the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study who visited the Cooper Clinic (Dallas, TX) between 2016-2024 for a preventive medicine examination. Multiple regression models (linear for continuous and logistic for categorical outcomes) were used to examine the associations of texting while driving with tobacco and excess alcohol use, CRF, and BMI. All models were stratified by sex and adjusted for age, education, exam year, and employment and retirement status. RESUTLS: The average age of participants was 48.2 years (SD = 1.0); the mean BMI was 27.0 kg/m2 (SD = 1.6); and 36.6% were women. Among women, those who texted while driving (vs. those who did not) had significantly higher CRF (β = 0.31 METs; 95% CI = 0.18, 0.44). Smoking, drinking, and BMI were not associated with texting and driving in women. Among men, texting while driving was not associated with CRF but was linked to higher odds for smoking (OR = 1.35; 95% CI 1.15, 1.58), and increased BMI (β = 0.16 kg/m2; 95% CI = 0.08, 0.22). CONCLUSION: Texting while driving may have different implications for women and men. In women, texting while driving was positively associated with higher CRF (often a consequence of virtuous behaviors), whereas in men it was related to smoking and increased adiposity. Further empirical research is needed to examine whether low self-regulation is an underlying driver that plays a differential role for men than women.