The Effect of Fuel Prices on the Driving Patterns of Older adults

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of fuel prices on older adults' driving. As part of the Candrive longitudinal study, Canadian older adults' (70 and older) driving patterns were monitored for several years using an in-vehicle device. The participants came from the following cities (or the near proximity): Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg or Victoria. Statistics Canada data were used for monthly fuel prices. Over the time period under investigation (June 2009 to September 2013), monthly fuel prices fluctuated greatly, with the minimum price being $0.972 (CAD) and the maximum being $1.352; a 40% absolute change. Using Joinpoint regression it was determined that there were several points where fuel price changed significantly. For the relationship between fuel price and driving distance, a significant negative (p<0.001) relationship existed for the summer (April to October), but not the winter (November to March). However, even the summer effect was small, such that a relatively large 50 cent change in fuel price would result in only an 8.4% decrease in monthly driving distance. In conclusion, although increases in fuel prices were associated with a reduction in driving distance, the effect was small and restricted to summer, attesting to the reliance of older adults on their vehicles for community mobility. The Culturally-Informed Healthy Aging (CIHA) project integrates nursing, anthropology, and epidemiology as an approach for a Nurse Practitioner to systematically partner with communities and providers in assessing social determinants of health and identifying community cultural capital (community strengths and assets) and issues central to aging and health. The goal of the program is to build community capacity for healthy aging, specifically in older adults. NATURALLY OCCURRING DATASETS: EXEMPLARSIn Phase 1 of the two phase CIHA project, a cultural and health assessment of a senior, residental, independent living community was conducted, and health issues were identified to develop culturally-informed healthy aging interventions in Phase 2. A unique feature of Phase 1 was the discovery of naturally occurring datasets and the validation of such datasets in accurately understanding the health of communities. This poster presentation will discuss the context of the HUD community, two exemplars of naturally occurring datasets, and the value of naturally occurring versus researcher-provoked datasets in this community health research project. Background: People with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a cancer primarily of older adults, should receive both the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) and the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13). Providers caring for CLL patients may face barriers to pneumococcal vaccination, including that their patients' medical care may be divided between a primary care and a hematology-oncology team. Our objective was to improve pneumococcal vaccine coverage for CLL patients at a Veterans Affairs (VA) medical ...