A recent article in Health and Place by researchers from the University of Florida, “Aging in climate change: Unpacking residential mobility and changes of social determinants of health in southern United States,” explores trends in older adults’ residential moves to, from, and within states along the southeastern coast of the U.S., as well as the effect of such moves on older adults’ exposure to certain health and environmental stressors. Although this region, which includes states along the coast from Texas to the mid-Atlantic area, has faced an increasing risk of extreme weather and climate events (EWCEs) in recent years due to climate change, it remains a popular place of residence for adults of age 65 and older. The researchers assert that understanding where older adults with certain characteristics – such as those with lower incomes or who have pre-existing health conditions – ultimately settle is necessary for the development of effective climate adaptation strategies at the state and local levels.
Prior studies have focused on the primary drivers of residential moves by older adults in the U.S., which include health concerns, a desire to live near family, an inability to live independently, and attempts to obtain better-quality housing. However, less attention has been paid to the outcomes and ultimate impacts of these moves. The researchers sought to understand how residential moves by older adults into, out of, or within southeastern coastal states impact their socioeconomic status, health status, access to community features like healthcare facilities, and exposure to environmental risks – collectively referred to as social determinants of health (SDOHs).
The researchers utilized data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, obtaining a total of 126,352 records for older adults who moved during a year between 2012 and 2021. These data include key characteristics for each individual, including race/ethnicity, income, housing cost burden, and self-reported preexisting health conditions. A SDOH framework was used to categorize post-move health risks into four groups: (1) economic stability, (2) health resource accessibility, (3) exposure to EWCEs, and (4) environmental quality. Economic stability refers to older adults’ financial access to essentials like healthy foods and stable housing. Health resource accessibility refers to older adults’ access to healthcare providers, defined as the number of hospitals, urgent care centers, and pharmacies within a geographic area. Exposure to EWCEs was defined as the number of extreme weather events and declared disasters within a geographic area over the prior five years. Measures of environmental quality were based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Index (AQI) and the National Environmental Public Health Tracking System’s water contaminant tracking data.
In analyzing the relationship between moves among older adults and the four categories of health risks, the authors found that impacts on economic and stability and health resource accessibility were mixed and highly location-dependent. Most older adults did not experience differences in food access after a residential move. However, some experienced changes in housing stability or overall poverty depending on their new location and on pre-existing demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. For example, older adults who moved to metropolitan areas in Louisiana, southern Mississippi, and northern Alabama experienced higher levels of housing instability. Older adult movers who had lower incomes, identified as being Hispanic, were not U.S. citizens, or had ambulatory or independent-living difficulties were more likely to experience greater housing instability and increased poverty after a move. Similarly, changes in health resource accessibility were highly location-dependent.
The researchers identified the greatest increase in risks to older adult movers from the perspective of exposure to EWCEs and environmental quality. Nearly a quarter (22.3%) of all older adult movers examined were likely to have increased exposure to events such as flooding, hurricanes, and tornadoes – a trend largely driven by older adults who moved from inland areas to the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. Furthermore, 45.0% of older adult movers were likely to have increased exposure to low air quality.
The researchers emphasize that understanding trends in older adult residential mobility is essential, given that moves in general and involuntary moves in particular among this population “may cause disconnections between…their social networks and disrupt their access to healthcare services.” They note that these findings can help communities “targeted” by older adult movers more strategically invest in preventative measures against future EWCEs as well as social services programs to support growing communities of older residents.
Read the article at: https://bit.ly/3RmMwig