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. 2014 Jan 29;9(1):e82959.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082959. eCollection 2014.

Reaction time and mortality from the major causes of death: the NHANES-III study

Gareth Hagger-Johnson  1 , Ian J Deary  2 , Carolyn A Davies  3 , Alexander Weiss  2 , G David Batty  4
Affiliations

Reaction time and mortality from the major causes of death: the NHANES-III study

Gareth Hagger-Johnson et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Objective: Studies examining the relation of information processing speed, as measured by reaction time, with mortality are scarce. We explored these associations in a representative sample of the US population.

Methods: Participants were 5,134 adults (2,342 men) aged 20-59 years from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-94).

Results: Adjusted for age, sex, and ethnic minority status, a 1 SD slower reaction time was associated with a raised risk of mortality from all-causes (HR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.12, 1.39) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) (HR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.17, 1.58). Having 1 SD more variable reaction time was also associated with greater risk of all-cause (HR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.19, 1.55) and CVD (HR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.33, 1.70) mortality. No associations were observed for cancer mortality. The magnitude of the relationships was comparable in size to established risk factors in this dataset, such as smoking.

Interpretation: Alongside better-established risk factors, reaction time is associated with increased risk of premature death and cardiovascular disease. It is a candidate risk factor for all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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