Determinants of the Travel Behavior of the Suburban Elderly

Abstract

In recent years, a significant feature of population change in North American metropolitan areas has been the rapid suburbanization of elderly people. The ability to engage in routine activity may be a necessary condition for the maintenance of independent life styles and psychological well-being among older suburbanites. Using a conceptual framework based on Parmelee and Lawton's ecological model of aging, this article offers an exploratory investigation of the determinants of the travel of separate samples of elderly male and female suburbanites to each of five destination categories of key service/activity sites in a Canadian city. The results of the tests of ten multiple regression models disclose that the levels of explanation of trip frequency afforded by "autonomy components" (e.g. health-related characteristics, living arrangements, and income level) vary according to destination category. However, the explanatory power of "security components" (i.e. variables concerning access to destination categories) is generally low. Overall, the findings of the study provide a basis for developing a deeper understanding of the repetitive travel behavior of elderly suburbanites. Copyright 2001 Gatton College of Business and Economics, University of Kentucky.

Destinations matter: The association between where older adults live and their travel behavior

“…Two other studies have reported older adults' frequency of travel to destinations (King et al, 2003;Smith, 2001) historically, over longer time periods. Smith and Sylvestre asked older adult participants to recall the frequency with which they made trips to a pre-determined list of eight destinations in the past year (banks; grocery stores; friends'/relatives' homes; pharmacies; rec centres; place of worship; volunteering/ work; senior centres) (Smith, 2001).…”

“…Two other studies have reported older adults' frequency of travel to destinations (King et al, 2003;Smith, 2001) historically, over longer time periods. Smith and Sylvestre asked older adult participants to recall the frequency with which they made trips to a pre-determined list of eight destinations in the past year (banks; grocery stores; friends'/relatives' homes; pharmacies; rec centres; place of worship; volunteering/ work; senior centres) (Smith, 2001). More than 90% of participants reported visiting a grocery store at least once per week; frequency of travel to the other destinations varied based on participants' person-level characteristics (sex, comorbidities, living arrangements, income) (Smith, 2001).…”

“…Smith and Sylvestre asked older adult participants to recall the frequency with which they made trips to a pre-determined list of eight destinations in the past year (banks; grocery stores; friends'/relatives' homes; pharmacies; rec centres; place of worship; volunteering/ work; senior centres) (Smith, 2001). More than 90% of participants reported visiting a grocery store at least once per week; frequency of travel to the other destinations varied based on participants' person-level characteristics (sex, comorbidities, living arrangements, income) (Smith, 2001). King et al (2003) asked about walking trips only, asking participants to recall the frequency of walking trips made in the last month to eleven destinations.…”

Older People's Mobility: Segments, Factors, Trends

“…The participation in social and productive activities contributes to older people's health, cognitive functioning, and well-being (Engelhardt, Buber, Skirbekk, & Prskawetz, 2010;Menec, 2003;Scheiner, 2004;Siegrist & Wahrendorf, 2009), while health restrictions reduce older people's activity frequency (e.g., Scheiner, 2006;Smith & Sylvestre, 2001) and increased their unfulfilled activity wishes Hjorthol, 2013;Scheiner, 2006). The subjective health status and feelings of control (mastery, selfefficacy) appear to be more relevant for the fulfilment of activity wishes than the "objective" health state, measured for example by specific physical symptoms Mandl et al, 2013).…”

Some Insights into the Key Influences on Trip-Chaining Activity and Public Transport Use of Seniors and the Elderly

“…The growing demands for mobility and accessibility of this age group grow in significance relative to the needs of younger, nonretired populations (Smith and Sylvestre, 2001;Su and Bell, 2006). Recent findings by P a aez et al (2006) support the proposition that trip-making propensity decreases with age; however, they also find that this behavior is not spatially homogeneous and exhibits a large degree of variability-a finding that highlights the challenges of planning transportation for the elderly.…”