Modeling Travel Mode Choice for Medical Activity by Older People in China

Understanding the determinant factors of medical travel mode choice by senior people is an essential step for mobility design for older people. However, few studies were conducted to investigate the medical travel mode choice by older people in China. This study aims to examine the factors affecting the medical travel mode choice of older people in China and investigate how their travel mode choice behaviors change from a spatiotemporal perspective. Using the pooled cross-sectional data from 2011, 2013, and 2015 China Health and Retirement, this study applies multinomial logit models to examine the factors affecting the medical travel mode choice by older people in China. Results show that (1) walking is a prior choice for those seniors when they choose private or low-tier medical facilities; (2) it is found that travel mode choice varies temporally; and (3) regional heterogeneity significantly affects medical travel mode choices.