A Comparative Study of Audiovisual Reaction Time between Urban and Rural Children in the Age Group of 11–16 Years

Reaction time is the interval between onset of a signal(stimulus) and the initiation of a movement response. Age, alertness, concentration, degree of physical fitness and training^{1, 2} are some of the factors which can affect reaction time in urban and rural children. The purpose of our study is to measure & compare audiovisual reaction time among them. Our study included 11-16years of school going children, 60 from urban and 60 from rural school. Their height and weight were recorded and BMI was calculated. The simple reaction time was measured using audio visual reaction time apparatus and data was compared between urban and rural children. Students unpaired “t” test was used for the analysis of data. The reaction time of rural school going children was found significantly better (p<0.05) than urban school going children. More physical activity and less sedentary life styles probably be the reason for better reaction time in rural children as compared to urban children.