Louis and Gabi Weisfild School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Gerontology Program, Department of Public Health, 26732Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
J Aging Health. 2022 Aug-Sep;34(4-5):684-692. doi: 10.1177/08982643211058025. Epub 2021 Dec 6.
The present study aims to examine possible pathways that potentially account for the relationship between perceived age discrimination in healthcare settings (as one form of ageism) and health outcomes.
We relied on 1570 complete surveys, which constitute a representative national sample of adults aged 50 and above in Israel.
We found a direct link between perceived age discrimination and health outcomes. This link was partially mediated by self-perceptions of aging and subsequently by health behaviors (e.g., eating vegetables) and preventive health behaviors (e.g., medical check-ups). The link between perceived age discrimination and health behaviors was moderated by age, thus, particularly detrimental for older people over the age of 65 as compared with those between the ages of 50 and 65.
This study adds to the literature as it examines comprehensive mechanisms to account for the path between perceived age discrimination and health status. Our findings point to the unique aspects associated with perceived age discrimination, which potentially make older people more susceptible to its negative effects.
本研究旨在探讨可能的途径，以解释医疗环境中感知到的年龄歧视（作为一种年龄歧视形式）与健康结果之间的关系。
我们依赖于 1570 份完整的调查，这些调查构成了以色列 50 岁及以上成年人的代表性全国样本。
我们发现感知到的年龄歧视与健康结果之间存在直接联系。这种联系部分通过自我老化感知以及随后的健康行为（例如，吃蔬菜）和预防保健行为（例如，体检）来介导。感知到的年龄歧视与健康行为之间的联系受到年龄的调节，因此，与 50 至 65 岁之间的人相比，对 65 岁以上的老年人尤其不利。
本研究通过检查感知到的年龄歧视与健康状况之间关系的综合机制，为文献做出了贡献。我们的研究结果指出了与感知到的年龄歧视相关的独特方面，这些方面可能使老年人更容易受到其负面影响的影响。
