THE ROLE OF CAR AVAILABILITY ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICAL FUNCTIONAL DECLINE AND GOING-OUT BEHAVIOR AMONG OLDER JAPANESE

Abstract

 In old age, outdoor activities are positively related to physical health and well-being. However, the decline of physical functioning makes it difficult to go outside. In this study, to capture the mitigation effects of car usage on this decline of going outside behaviors, the relationship among car availability, physical functioning, and going-out behavior was investigated on older Japanese aged 65 and above by using data from the 6th nationwide person trip survey conducted in 2015. Logistic regression models indicate that in case of maintenance activities (shopping) the availability of a personal car seemed to mitigate the deleterious effects of physical functioning decline. However, the possession of a family-shared car was not necessarily significant. Moreover, in case of leisure activities (eating out, social activities, and leisure), among females, the same mitigation effects were observed. These findings suggest that there is a gender difference in the role of car availability among older people whose physical functioning has been deteriorating.