Now recognized as a chronic medical condition, obesity is associated with serious health problems that increase morbidity and mortality; stigmatization at work, in social settings, and in healthcare settings; decreased physical function; lower health-related quality of life; and increased direct and indirect healthcare costs. When combined with common aging-related challenges, obesity can create complex clinical situations without easy solutions.

In the Concentric Value of Vaccination graphic, we highlight some of the many benefits of vaccination and illustrate how these benefits ripple outward—from the individual to the societal and the broader economy—reinforcing vaccines as one of the most powerful tools in public health. The benefits of vaccines include individual health outcomes (e.g., increased life expectancy), economic benefits (e.g., health care cost savings), and societal health impacts (e.g., community immunity).

Quick Facts about Vaccination and Older Adults

The immune systems of adults age 65+ have a harder time fighting infections than adults under age 65.

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Older adults are more likely to have other health conditions that impair recovery from the flu and other vaccine-preventable infections.

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Forty two percent of adults age 50+ did not receive either the flu or COVID-19 vaccines in the second half of 2025.

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Four vaccine-preventable diseases resulted in $26.5 billion in total annual health care costs among US adults age 50+.

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The recent GSA report, “Concentric Value of Vaccination: Intersecting Health, Economic, and Societal Benefits,” provides a comprehensive overview of the concentric value of vaccination, presenting evidence on the benefits of immunization for individual, population health, economic outcomes, and societal well-being. You will also find additional resources highlighting the importance of vaccines for adults.

Concentric Value of Vaccination Resources

Through our Concentric Value of Vaccination as We Age Initiative, we collaborate with interdisciplinary and multisector teams to advance education and foster reverence for vaccines across the life course. 

We do this by:

Producing consumer-facing resources on how vaccines work, their benefits for individuals and society, and strategies to promote vaccine confidence and uptake.

Developing resources for health care teams on communication strategies when talking about vaccines with patients.

Engaging in national policy dialogue reiterating the health, societal, and economic benefits of vaccination.

GSA appreciates the work of the Concentric Value of Vaccination Advisory Board members who help guide and shape our work. The 2026 CVV Advisory members include:

  • Stefan Gravenstein, MD, David S. Greer Professor of Geriatric Medicine; Director, Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Care; Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice, Brown University
  • Anna Pendrey, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Family Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine
  • Angela Shen, ScD, MPH, Adjunct Associate Professor
  • Angela Shen, ScD, MPH, Adjunct Associate Professor of Medical Ethics & Health Policy; Senior Fellow, Center for Public Health; Consultant, Task Force for Global Health, University of Pennsylvania
  • Barbara Resnick, PhD, RN, CRNP, FAAN, FAANP, Distinguished University Professor; Sonya Ziporkin Gershowitz Chair in Gerontology, University of Maryland, Baltimore
  • Laura Haynes, PhD FGSA, Professor, Immunology, University of Connecticut Center on Aging
  • David Bloom, PhD, Clarence James Gamble Professor of Economics and Demography, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health


Additional Information on this important initiative is available from:

Lisa McGuire, PhD, FGSA, Vice President, Strategic Alliances & Practice Innovation

lmcguire@geron.org | 202-587-5870

Elana Kieffer Blass, MBA, Director, Strategic Alliances

ekieffer@geron.org | 202-587-2836

Patricia D'Antonio, BSPharm, MS, MBA, BCGP, Vice President for Policy & Professional Affairs

pdantonio@geron.org | 202-587-5880