Using Multilevel Path Modeling to Examine the Statistical Effect of Transport Deprivation on the Self-Reported Health and Mental Health of Older People Who Live Alone and in Rural Areas

Abstract

This case study discusses the use of multilevel path modeling as a statistical technique to examine relationships between living alone and in rural areas, having no access to a car, and the self-reported health and mental health of older people in Northern Ireland. The example used for this case study is a paper published in 2015 in Research on Aging, which is based on a statistical analysis of large-scale population data. The case study presents visualizations of path models at different stages of the study and model development. Issues of data and model selection are discussed and online resources from secondary literature, which the author found useful for learning these techniques, are recommended.