Yale study: Ageism is costly

Bias said to cause poorer health

NEW HAVEN — Prejudice against older people comes with a cost, a Yale School of Public Health study has found — $63 billion a year, in fact.

Known as ageism, the bias against those 60 and older was responsible for more than 17 million cases of the eight most expensive illnesses, above and beyond that cost by age itself, according to a news release.

The study was led by professor Becca R. Levy, lead author of the paper published online Tuesday in The Gerontologist journal.

“Ageism is one of the least visible prejudices,” said Levy in the release. “Our study helps to increase the visibility of ageism by looking at its consequences.”

Levy found, using modeling techniques of health economics that include data from national surveys, demographics and a review of research concerning the influence of ageism on health, that $1 of every $7 spent on the eight most costly conditions suffered by those over 60, including cardiovascular disease, mental disorders and chronic respiratory disease, the release said.

“Our findings make a strong case for efforts aimed at reducing the epidemic of ageism, which produces not only a financial cost for society, but also a human cost for the well-being of older persons,” said Levy.

Levy and her colleagues have shown previously that ageism creates stress, which can have negative health effects, the release said. Unfair treatment of the old, negative stereotypes about old people and negative views of themselves as older individuals were all evaluated, the release said.

The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging.