Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-2pzkn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-03T22:26:28.582Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Gender and Transportation Access among Community-Dwelling Seniors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Josette Dupuis ,
Deborah R. Weiss  and
Christina Wolfson
Josette Dupuis
Affiliation:
Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Community Studies
Deborah R. Weiss
Affiliation:
Division of Clinical Epidemiology (DiCE), McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)
Christina Wolfson*
Affiliation:
Division of Clinical Epidemiology (DiCE), McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to: / Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Christina Wolfson, Division of Clinical Epidemiology (DiCE), McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), 1025 Pine Ave. West, Rm. P2.028, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1. (christina.wolfson@mcgill.ca)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Purpose: This study estimates the prevalence of problems with transportation in a sample of community-dwelling seniors residing in an urban setting and investigates the role that gender plays in the ability of seniors to remain mobile in their communities.

Design and Methods: Data collected as part of a study assessing the prevalence and consequences of unmet needs for community-based services in a random sample of 839 elderly aged 75 years and older were employed in bivariate and multivariable analyses.

Results: The prevalence of problems with transportation was 23 per cent, with 33 per cent of females and 10 per cent of males categorized as having problems with transportation. Of those subjects categorized as having problems with transportation, 88 per cent were women. In addition to being predominantly women, those who reported problems with transportation were older, in poorer health, and had lower income and income satisfaction.

Implications: Problems with transportation are an important issue facing seniors; women, in particular. These results highlight the differences in aging as experienced by women and men with respect to social effects, needs, and the significance attached to the experience.

Résumé

But: La présente étude évalue la prévalence des problèmes de transport chez un échantillon de personnes âgées résidant à domicile en milieu urbain et étudie le rôle que le sexe de la personne joue dans la capacité des aînés à maintenir leur mobilité dans la communauté.

Structure et méthode: Les données recueillies dans le cadre d'une étude évaluant la prévalence et les conséquences des besoins non comblés de services communautaires d'un échantillon tiré au hasard de 839 personnes âgées de 75 ans et plus ont fait l'objet d'analyses bidimensionnelles et multivariables.

Résultats: La prévalence des problèmes de transport s'élève à 23 pour cent; 33 pour cent des femmes et 10 pour cent des hommes affirmaient avoir des problèmes de transport. Du groupe de personnes confrontées à ces problèmes, 88 pour cent étaient de sexe féminin. En plus d'être en grande majorité des femmes, les personnes ayant des problèmes de transport étaient plus âgées et en moins bonne santé, disposaient d'un revenu moindre et manifestaient une moins grande satisfaction à cet égard.

Constatations: Les problèmes de transport sont une question importante à laquelle les personnes âgées doivent faire face, surtout les femmes. Ces résultats font ressortir que le processus de vieillissement est une expérience différente pour les hommes et pour les femmes par rapport aux effets sociaux, aux besoins et à l'importance que revêt l'expérience.

Keywords

agingelderlywomenhealth statusmobilitytransportationurbanvieillissementpersonne âgéefemmesétat de santémobilitétransportzone urbaine
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , Summer/Été 2007 , pp. 149 - 158
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2007

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*We would like to thank Louise Lévesque, John Podoba, Victor Addona, and Marie-Rose Shoucri for their important contributions to this research. We would also like to thank Abby Lippman for her insight into and advice on the preparation of the manuscript. Our thanks also to the interviewers for all their hard work and the participants, who generously gave of their time and who were a constant motivation to everyone involved in the study.This research took place within the framework of a larger study, called “Unmet Needs for Community-Based Services for the Elderly Aged 75 Years and Over” (L. Levesque, C. Wolfson, H. Bergman, F. Béland, & L. Trahan), which was funded by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) and the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ). Funding was also provided by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) for the 12-month follow-up component of the project (“Unmet Needs for Community-Based Services for the Elderly Aged 75 Years and Over: 12-Month Follow-Up” [C. Wolfson, L. Lévesque, H. Bergman, F. Béland, & J.E. Podoba]); and by the CIHR Interdisciplinary Research Team to increase the sample size of the study (“Longitudinal Study of the Frailty Process and of Unmet Needs in the community-dwelling elderly” [C. Wolfson, L. Lévesque, H. Bergman, F. Béland, L. Trahan, & J.E. Podoba]).

References

Allen, S.M., Mor, V., Raveis, V., & Houts, P. (1993). Measurement of need for assistance with daily activities: Quantifying the influence of gender roles. Journals of Gerontology, 48(4), S204–S211.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Alsnih, R., & Hensher, D.A. (2003). The mobility and accessibility expectations of seniors in an aging population. Transportation Research, Part A, 37, 903–916.Google Scholar
Arber, S., & Ginn, J. (1991). Gender and later life: A sociological analysis of resources and constraints. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Avison, W.R., Cairney, J. (2003). Social structure, stress, and personal control. In Zarit, S.H., Pearlin, L.I., & Warner Schaie, K. (Eds.), Personal control in social and life course context (pp. 127–164). New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Browne, C. (1998). Women, feminism, and aging. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Burkhardt, J.E., Berger, A.M., Creedon, M.A., & McGavock, A.T. (1999, January). Mobility changes for elderly who reduce or cease driving. Paper presented at the 78th annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Carp, F.M. (1988). Significance of mobility for the well-being of the elderly (Special Report No. 218). In Transportation Research Board & National Research Council (Eds.), Transportation in an aging society, (Vol. 2, pp. 1–20). Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Charest, H. (1991). Étude sur les besoins de transport des personnes âgées à mobilité réduite du Sherbrooke métropolitain. Sherbrooke, QC: Centre Local de services communautaires, SOC.Google Scholar
Collia, D.V., Sharp, J., & Giesbrecht, L. (2003). The 2001 national household travel survey: A look into the travel patterns of older Americans. Journal of Safety Research, 34, 461–470.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coughlin, J. (2001). Transportation and older persons—Perceptions and preferences: A report on focus groups. Washington, DC: AARP Public Policy Institute Retrieved 4 July 2005 from http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/2001_05_transport.pdf.Google Scholar
CSHA Working Group (1994). Canadian Study of Health and Aging: Study methods and prevalence of dementia. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 150(6), 899–913.Google Scholar
Cutler, S.J., & Coward, R.T. (1992). Availability of personal transportation in households of elders: Age, gender and residence differences. Gerontologist, 32(1), 77–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cvitkovich, Y., & Wister, A. (2001). The importance of transportation and prioritization of environmental needs to sustain well-being among older adults. Environment and Behavior, 33(6), 809–829.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dailey, N. (1998). When baby boom women retire. Westport, CT: Praeger.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Direction de la santé publique de Montréal (2003). Population par groupe d'âge et sexe, Région de Montréal, recensement 2001. In Région de Montréal: Caractéristiques de la population. Retrieved 4 July 2005 from http://www.santepub-mtl.qc.ca/Portrait/Montreal/agesexe.html.Google Scholar
Ginn, J., Arber, S. (1995). Only connect: Gender relations and ageing. In Arber, S., & Ginn, J. (Eds.), Connecting gender and ageing: A sociological approach (pp. 1–13). Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Health Canada. Division of aging and seniors (1999). A quick portrait of Canadian seniors (Aging Vignette No.12). Health Canada. Retrieved 4 July 2005 from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/seniors-aines/pubs/vignette/vig12_e.htm.Google Scholar
Hjorthol, R., & Sagberg, F. (2000). Norway. European Conference of Ministers of Transport, Transport and ageing of the population (Report of the Hundred and Twelfth Round Table, pp. 143–176). Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
Marcellini, F., Gagliardi, C., & Leonardi, F. (2000). Italy. In European Conference of Ministers of Transport, Transport and ageing of the population (Report of the Hundred and Twelfth Round Table, pp. 177–209). Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
Marshall, V.W., McMullin, J.A., Ballantyne, P.J., Daciuk, J.F., & Wigdor, B.T. (1995). Contributions to independence over the adult life-course. Toronto: Centre for Studies of Aging, University of Toronto.Google Scholar
Mollenkopf, H., Marcellini, F., Ruoppila, I., Flaschenträger, P., Gagliardi, C., & Spazzafumo, L. (1997). Outdoor mobility and social relationships of elderly people. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 24, 295–310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2001). Ageing and transport: Mobility needs and safety Issues. Paris: Author.Google Scholar
Pearlin, L.I., & Schooler, C. (1978). The structure of coping. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 19(1), 2–21.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pearlin, L.I., Menaghan, E.G., Lieberman, M.A., & Mullan, J.T. (1981). The stress process. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22(4), 337–356.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pearlin, L.I., Pioli, M.F. (2003). Personal control: Some conceptual turf and future directions. In Zarit, S.H., Pearlin, L.I., & Warner Schaie, K. (Eds.), Personal control in social and life course context (pp. 1–22). New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Podoba, J.E. (2004). Unmet needs for community services among the elderly: Impact on health services utilization. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, McGill University, Montreal, QC.Google Scholar
Roccaforte, W.H., Burke, W.J., Bayer, B.L., & Wengel, S.P. (1992). Validation of a telephone version of the Mini-Mental State Examination. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 40(7), 697–702.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosenbloom, S. (2000). United States. In European Conference of Ministers of Transport, Transport and ageing of the population. (Report of the Hundred and Twelfth Round Table, pp. 5–42). Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
Rosenbloom, S., & Winsten-Bartlett, C. (2002). Asking the right question: Understanding the travel needs of older women who do not drive. Transportation Research Record, 1818, 78–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaie, K.W., & Pietrucha, M., (Eds.). (2000). Preface. In Mobility and transportation in the elderly. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Schieman, S., & Turner, H.A. (1998). Age, disability, and the sense of mastery. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 39(3), 169–186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scott, A., Wenger, G. (1995). Gender and social support networks in later life. In Arber, S. & Ginn, J. (Eds.), Connecting gender and ageing: A sociological approach (pp. 158–172). Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Siren, A., & Hakamies-Blomqvist, L. (2004). Private car as the grand equaliser? Demographic factors and mobility in Finnish men and women aged 65+. Transportation Research, Part F7. 107–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Straight, A. (1997). Community transportation survey (AARP Public Policy Institute). Retrieved 4 July 2005 from http://assets.aarp.org/rgcenter/il/d16603_commtran.pdf.Google Scholar
Transportation Research Board (2002). Environment and social justice. In Transportation environmental research: A long-term strategy (Special Report 268. pp. 78–95). Washington, DC: National Council, National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Vézina, A., & Pelletier, D. (1997). Les personnes âgées à mobilité réduite vivant à domicile: Modalités de réponse aux besoins et niveau de satisfaction perçu (Transportation problems of non-institutionalized elders with ambulatory difficulties: Meeting needs and level of subjective well-being). Canadian Journal on Aging, 16(2), 297–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Von Korff, M., Wagner, E.H., & Saunders, K. (1992). A chronic disease score from automated pharmacy data. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 45(2), 197–203.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed