TY - JOUR
T1 - The education effect on population health
T2 - A reassessment
AU - Baker, David P.
AU - Leon, Juan
AU - Smith Greenaway, Emily G.
AU - Collins, John
AU - Movit, Marcela
PY - 2011/6
Y1 - 2011/6
N2 - Demographic research frequently reports consistent and signifcant associations between formal educational attainment and a range of health risks such as smoking, drug abuse, and accidents, as well as the contraction of many diseases, and health outcomes such as mortality-almost all indicating the same conclusion: better-educated individuals are healthier and live longer. Despite the substantial reporting of a robust education effect, there is inadequate appreciation of its independent influence and role as a causal agent. To address the effect of education on health in general, three contributions are provided: 1) a macro-level summary of the dimensions of the worldwide educational revolution and a reassessment of its causal role in the health of individuals and in the demographic health transition are carried out; 2) a meta-analysis of methodologically sophisticated studies of the effect of educational attainment on all-cause mortality is conducted to establish the independence and robustness of the education effect on health; and 3) a schooling-cognition hypothesis about the influence of education as a powerful determinant of health is developed in light of new multidisciplinary cognitive research.
AB - Demographic research frequently reports consistent and signifcant associations between formal educational attainment and a range of health risks such as smoking, drug abuse, and accidents, as well as the contraction of many diseases, and health outcomes such as mortality-almost all indicating the same conclusion: better-educated individuals are healthier and live longer. Despite the substantial reporting of a robust education effect, there is inadequate appreciation of its independent influence and role as a causal agent. To address the effect of education on health in general, three contributions are provided: 1) a macro-level summary of the dimensions of the worldwide educational revolution and a reassessment of its causal role in the health of individuals and in the demographic health transition are carried out; 2) a meta-analysis of methodologically sophisticated studies of the effect of educational attainment on all-cause mortality is conducted to establish the independence and robustness of the education effect on health; and 3) a schooling-cognition hypothesis about the influence of education as a powerful determinant of health is developed in light of new multidisciplinary cognitive research.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79959495126&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1728-4457.2011.00412.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1728-4457.2011.00412.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 21984851
AN - SCOPUS:79959495126
SN - 0098-7921
VL - 37
SP - 307
EP - 332
JO - Population and Development Review
JF - Population and Development Review
IS - 2
ER -
