Determinants of travel mode choice for seeking healthcare: A comparison between elderly and non-elderly patients

People's travel mode choices can vary significantly by age group due to different influencing factors, but relevant research on health-related travel is scarce. In this study, we explored and compared the determinants of travel mode choice for healthcare-seeking non-elderly and elderly patients in Beijing, China. A multinomial logit model was used to analyze data from a recent healthcare-seeking behavior survey. The results show that increased age discourages car use and slightly prompts non-motorized travel in the non-elderly, but has the opposite effect in the elderly group. Household income has a negative effect on non-motorized travel in the non-elderly, but a positive effect in elderly patients. Highly mixed land use, intensive urban development, and difficulty in parking discourage non-elderly patients from traveling by car, but none of these factors have a significant effect on the elderly. Our findings shed light on the unique transportation demands for different age cohorts and inform the creation of age-specific interventions to improve overall access to health.