title: Influences of Transportation on Health Decision-Making and Self-Management Behaviors among Older Adults with Chronic Conditions.
abstract: Although transportation has been established as a facilitator/barrier to health self-management, little is known about how the context of transportation shapes health self-management behaviors and decision-making among older adults with chronic conditions. This study interviewed 37 older adults with chronic conditions in Florida to examine their perspectives about how transportation influences their chronic care self-management. The data were systematically analyzed for themes. The thematic findings revealed how transportation intersected with participants' everyday experiences with chronic health self-management, how they evaluated transportation as part of the process of making decisions about health, and how creative problem-solving about transportation became an additional health self-management activity for addressing their complex needs. These findings suggest that the context of transportation goes beyond a basic facilitator/barrier for health and enhance our understanding about how transportation services and policies may be changed to better address the needs of older adults with chronic conditions.
authors.affiliation: a School of Social Work, The University of Alabama.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ruggiano
authors.affiliation: b School of Social Work, Florida International University.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shtompel
authors.affiliation: c Dartmouth Centers for Health and Aging, and (formerly) School of Social Work, Florida Atlantic University.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Whiteman
authors.affiliation: b School of Social Work, Florida International University.
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sias
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000073278:Self-Management; D014186:Transportation
keywords: chronic illness; health behaviors; health self-management; older adults; social factors