SynthesisPloS one2020
Global reach of ageism on older persons' health: A systematic review.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 267 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
267 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 808 citations in OpenAlex.
- There, but not there: older people in anti-ageism interventions.The Gerontologist · 2026Pooled it
- Structural marginalization of older adults within health care settings: a concept analysis.BMC geriatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Scales used to assess ageism in the health care sector: a (COSMIN) systematic review of the measurement properties.BMC geriatrics · 2025Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Qualitative Research Literature and a Thematic Synthesis of Older LGBTQ People's Experiences of Quality of Life, Minority Joy, Resilience, Minority Stress, Discrimination, and Stigmatization in Japan and Sweden.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- Age-based exclusion is common and multifactorial in spinal RCTs: a systematic review and quantitative analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2023Pooled it
- Longitudinal effects of subjective aging on health and longevity: An updated meta-analysis.Psychology and aging · 2023Pooled it
- Chronic Effects of Different Intensities of Interval Training on Hemodynamic, Autonomic and Cardiorespiratory Variables of Physically Active Elderly People.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Trial
- In search of existential health in Swedish primary care: perspectives from older adults who took part in an existential group treatment.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Article
- Factors Contributing to Discriminatory Nursing Care: A Qualitative Study From Nurses' Experiences.Nursing open · 2026Article
- Healthcare Professionals' Experiences of the Causes of Recurrent Pressure Injuries-A Phenomenographic Study.International wound journal · 2026Article
- Psychometric Properties of the Everyday Ageism Scale: Results from the Experiences of Aging in Society Project.Journal of aging and health · 2026Article
- Age equality in mental health: Déjà vu all over again.Psychology and psychotherapy · 2026Article
- Emeritus unbound.EMBO reports · 2026Article
- Impact of adverse childhood experiences, positive childhood experiences and adult protective and risk factors on health in a statewide representative sample.Family medicine and community health · 2026Observational
- Aging Like Milk or Fine Wine: Content Analysis of Reactions to One's Future Self on TikTok.JMIR aging · 2026Article
- Clinical Blindness to Eating Disorders in Older Adults: A Qualitative Study of Primary Care Nurses' Perspectives.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- A Narrative Review of Surgical Consent in Older Populations: Complexities and Potential Solutions.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2026Review
- Grey and green: can the two walk together? Challenges to climate planning for an aging population: perspectives of Israeli policy stakeholders and planners.The Gerontologist · 2026Article
- The Impact of Ageism and Pain on Pandemic-Related Stress in Older Adults: A Structural Equation Modeling and Mediation Analysis.Journal of aging and health · 2026Article
- Changes in General and Dental-Specific Ageism Following Home-Visit Clinical Training With Older Adults: A Quasi-Experimental Pre-Post Study.Journal of dental education · 2026Article
207 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveAlthough there is anecdotal evidence of ageism occurring at both the structural level (in which societal institutions reinforce systematic bias against older persons) and individual level (in which older persons take in the negative views of aging of their culture), previous systematic reviews have not examined how both levels simultaneously influence health. Thus, the impact of ageism may be underestimated. We hypothesized that a comprehensive systematic review would reveal that these ageism levels adversely impact the health of older persons across geography, health outcomes, and time.
methodA literature search was performed using 14 databases with no restrictions on region, language, and publication type. The systematic search yielded 13,691 papers for screening, 638 for full review, and 422 studies for analyses. Sensitivity analyses that adjusted for sample size and study quality were conducted using standardized tools. The study protocol is registered (PROSPERO CRD42018090857).
resultsAgeism led to significantly worse health outcomes in 95.5% of the studies and 74.0% of the 1,159 ageism-health associations examined. The studies reported ageism effects in all 45 countries, 11 health domains, and 25 years studied, with the prevalence of significant findings increasing over time (p < .0001). A greater prevalence of significant ageism-health findings was found in less-developed countries than more-developed countries (p = .0002). Older persons who were less educated were particularly likely to experience adverse health effects of ageism. Evidence of ageism was found across the age, sex, and race/ethnicity of the targeters (i.e., persons perpetrating ageism).
conclusionThe current analysis which included over 7 million participants is the most comprehensive review of health consequences of ageism to date. Considering that the analysis revealed that the detrimental impact of ageism on older persons' health has been occurring simultaneously at the structural and individual level in five continents, our systematic review demonstrates the pernicious reach of ageism.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.