Implementation of a Community-Based Public Health Buddy Program for Transportation-Disadvantaged Older Adults
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Abstract
Given that there is a well-established link between driving cessation among older adults and declines in physical, social and cognitive function, the mobility of an aging U.S. population is both a public health concern and transportation planning dilemma. In response, this study sought to determine whether a community-based “buddy” program that pairs college students with transportation-disadvantaged older adults could improve mobility and quality of life for older adults in Hillsborough County, Florida. In order to assess the efficacy of the buddy program model, developed in Phase I of the project, a pre- survey was issued to 62 older adults, recruited from Hillsborough County Senior Center locations. The survey established a baseline for participants' access to community transportation and health resources, prior to pairing case group participants with trained college student volunteers. Each participant from the case group was matched with a trained volunteer, who identified relevant transportation and health resources for the participant. Following program implementation, post-surveys were issued to both study groups, with 43 of the total enrolled participants completing the study. A paired samples T-test of the pre-post survey data from 21 eligible respondents in the case group found that the mean scores for post-test were higher than the mean scores for pre-test, but the score increase was not statistically significant.