Developing a Community-Based, Intergenerational Intervention to Alleviate Transportation Barriers: Healthy Buddy Program for Latinx Older Adults

ABSTRACT

The research team developed a community-based, intergenerational intervention, the Spanish-language Healthy Buddy Program to alleviate transportation barriers experienced by Latinx older adults. College students were paired with Latinx older adults and helped them identify transportation- and health-related resources in their communities. During COVID-19, the program was implemented in Hillsborough County, Florida, and Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and San Antonio, Texas. This paper reports the study process and outcomes using quantitative and qualitative data collected in Texas (n = 25). Individual interviews indicated older adult participants were receptive to the program model and appreciated the roles student buddies played to help improve their mobility.

KEYWORDS:

• Community
• education
• minority
• mobility
• social support

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from the Center for Transportation Equity, Decisions and Dollars (CTEDD) funded by U.S. Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration (OST-R) and housed at The University of Texas at Arlington [CTEDD 020-05].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Center for Transportation Equity, Decisions and Dollars (CTEDD) [CTEDD 020-05].