EFFECTS OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT NEAR HOME ON OLDER ADULTS' AGING-IN-PLACE

2016 The gerontologist  
This study investigated age differences in individual relocation decisions after tornadoes with a multilevel perspective. The data were obtained in 2014 between July and Sep, a little more than one year after the 2013 EF5 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma and EF4 tornado in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. A telephone survey based on random-digit-dialing was conducted with residents aged 18 years and above in selected zip codes on the tornado tracks. We oversampled older adults to be approximately 50% of the
more » ... total sampling frame. Completed interviews were obtained with 536 respondents, including 276 residents who were aged 65 or above. Altogether, 338 residents were from Moore and 198 were from Hattiesburg, The surveys included demographics, socioeconomic status, relocation decisions, social support, health, psychological well-being, community recovery etc. Logistic regression indicated that homeownership reduced younger but not older respondents' likelihood to relocate. Individuals' residential damage was an important predictor for relocation decisions among younger and older adults. Random effects logistic regression found that the percentage of older adults in the community reduced older adults' but not younger adults' likelihood of relocating. The findings were discussed from the perspectives of social vulnerability, social capital, age differences, and policy implications.
doi:10.1093/geront/gnw162.1767 fatcat:lwblxvkzb5ehpoq2v4vcw3u3tm