Agent-based modeling of health resources for older adults

Accessibility, equity, and last-mile solutions in Fuzhou, China

Datos Bibliográficos

ID22068321
AutoresQiuyi Zhang (0000-0003-0480-9272, Chongqing University, autor de correspondencia), Xin Wu (0000-0002-3839-4768, Fujian University of Technology), Siying Wu (0000-0003-0440-7636, Fujian University of Technology), Liyun Huang (0009-0003-0579-0080, Chongqing University, autor de correspondencia), Chong Peng (0000-0002-3436-000X, Fujian University of Technology, autor de correspondencia)
Año2025
Volumen13
Páginas1698911-1698911
Fecha de publicación2025-11-24
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
EditorialFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2025.1698911
PMID41368671
OpenAlexW4416593667
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas51

Population aging presents a critical challenge for urban sustainability and health equity. This study addresses the structural mismatch between the spatial distribution of older adults and health resources in Fuzhou, China, by developing an Agent-Based Model (ABM) to simulate the utilization of prevention, treatment, and long-term care facilities and its impact on health outcomes. The model, grounded in empirical questionnaire data and real-world spatial data, incorporates older adults as mobile agents with diverse health, economic, and living statuses, navigating a realistic urban environment over a 500-day simulation. This research designed a conceptual framework capturing the dynamic feedback between facility usage and health status. Four intervention scenarios, Multi-functional Community Centers (S1), Senior-Friendly Transportation Policies (S2), Community-based Health Education (S3), and a Comprehensive package (S4), were tested. Results indicate that spatial accessibility is the paramount driver of health improvement, with S2 (transport support) and S4 (comprehensive) demonstrating the most significant and rapid gains. Health equity, assessed via a weighted Gini coefficient, showed that while S4 achieved the most robust equity improvements across health and economic strata, its effect on residential disparities was limited. S1 risked exacerbating inequities if not precisely targeted, and S3 showed the least efficacy. The study concludes that optimizing health resources for aging populations requires a spatially-anchored, multi-dimensional strategy that prioritizes transportation accessibility, precision facility siting, and integrated service provision to effectively overcome “last-mile” barriers and address the complex needs of socioeconomically diverse older adults

China · Health care · Health equity · Population · Population ageing · Resource distribution · Sustainability · Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility · Older Adults Driving Studies · Urban Transport and Accessibility · Health Policy