For Older Americans, The Cost of Poverty is Nine Years of Life, Study Finds
“Wealth has long been tied to longevity in the U.S. and other countries, but a new analysis helps quantify the gap between how long low-income older Americans and their more affluent peers tend to live.
Low-income people over 60 years old die an average of nine years earlier than high-income older Americans, according to the new study from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and University of Massachusetts Boston’s LeadingAge LTSS Center, which studies aging.
Generally, middle-income older Americans are also dying younger than wealthier people, the researchers founds. About 15% of seniors with annual household incomes of roughly $60,000 died during the four-year study period, compared with about 11% in households with incomes of around $120,000.
“This is the first time we’ve tied health and wealth together — this was really shocking for me,” said Jessica Johnston, senior director of the NCOA’s Center for Economic Well-Being, of the nine-year life gap. “We all traditionally and culturally were taught to value our elders, and if we played by the rules we could age well, and I think that’s changing.”
The study is based on an analysis of data from 2018 to 2022 gathered through the University of Michigan’s Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal panel study that tracks 10,000 households. NCOA, a nonprofit group based in Arlington, Virginia, advocates for older adults. ”
Read more at CBS News.