01662686

Component

Travel in aging individuals has been declining, but it is important for social inclusion and subjective well-being. The present study analyzed times spent traveling, and factors associated with travel for discretionary and non-discretionary purposes in older adults. The Canadian General Social Survey (2010) provided representative data on socio-demographics, transport accessibility, participation in travel and time traveled on a surveyed day in Canadians aged 60 years old or older (n = 4765). Binary dependent variables of participation in maintenance, leisure time, and socializing activities were assessed with three logistic regressions. Independent variables included age, gender, marital status, retirement status, access to transport measures and activity impairments. While a high proportion of individuals did not travel for discretionary purposes, travel times for those traveling hovered near an hour for each purpose studied. Age, being retired from work and access to transport repeatedly explained differences in travel across all three purposes. While the odds ratio of traveling decreased with progressive age, they increased when individuals had access to a car. Being retired increased travel for leisure, and decreased travel for maintenance purposes. Activity impairments reduced travel for maintenance purposes. Results confirm that the older one gets, they engage in progressively less travel. Travel is even likelier to decrease in individuals who are retired, who have limited access to transport, and who have activity impairments. Policies could use these findings to promote travel, and to prevent social exclusion and disadvantage in older age.

This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABE60 Standing Committee on Accessible Transportation and Mobility. Alternate title: Does Transport Accessibility Increase Travel in Older Age? Analyzing Travel for Discretionary and Nondiscretionary Purposes in Aging Canadians

18-01039

English

17p

2018

Transportation Research Board 97th Annual Meeting

Digital/other

References; Tables

Access; Aged; Demographics; Logistic regression analysis; Recreational trips; Social factors; Travel; Travel behavior

Discretionary trips

Canada

Highways; Passenger Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; Society

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2018 Paper #18-01039

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Jan 8 2018 10:15AM