Educational Inequality As Destructive For Health As Smoking – Study

(Reuters / Luke MacGregor)

An educational deficit can be as destructive for human health as smoking and could reduce a person’s lifespan by ten years, new research suggests.

Conducted by researchers based at the University of Colorado, the report said young people who leave school without good GSCE or A Levels results risk a life plagued by poor nutrition, declining mental health and long working hours. It was published in multi-disciplinary open access journal PLOS ONE.

The research team examined data sets from America dating back as far as 1925 to decipher the relationship between education and mortality. However, their findings can be applied more generally to any state. Assistant professor at the University of Colorado Patrick Kruger said the research uncovers a clear link between educational attainment and human health.

RT.com report continues:

Krueger, who specializes in Health & Behavioral Sciences and co-authored the report, said its results indicate social policies and interventions to improve access to education could markedly improve“survival in the US population.”

He further stated the closing of “educational disparities” across society is central to this goal.

The assistant professor argued unless educational inequalities across society are addressed “the mortality attributable to low education will continue to increase in the future.”

Roughly 6,000 pupils each year leave school without any qualifications whatsoever in Britain, according to government statistics. An additional 47,000 come out with less than five GCSEs.

Kruger and his colleague also examined data for people who were born in 1935 and 1945 to discern how education levels influenced mortality over generations.

It found disparities in mortality across varying education levels fluctuated considerably.

Mortality rates declined modestly among those with high school degrees, the equivalent of British A-levels.

However, the lifespan of those with college or university degrees were found to increase considerably.

The study concluded improved education could better the lives of thousands of people.

University Of Colorado Study Links Education To Lower Mortality Rates

The Denver Post had on Wednesday reported that:

Green Valley Ranch High School in Denver (Kathryn Scott Osler, The Denver Post)

Lack of education might be as bad for your health as smoking, says a University of Colorado Denver study released Wednesday.

Researchers examined population data going back to 1925 to see how education levels affected mortality rates of more than a million people ages 25 to 85 in 2010. They found a direct link.

Education is a strong predictor of several contributing factors, including higher income, healthier behaviors and social and psychological well-being, the study says.

In the U.S., more than 10 percent of adults ages 25 to 34 don't have a high school diploma and 28.5 percent have some college education but no bachelor's degree.

Researchers determined that 145,243 deaths could have been prevented in 2010 if adults who hadn't completed high school had gone on to earn a diploma or equivalent.

That's comparable to the numbers of deaths avoided by smokers who quit, says study co-author Patrick Krueger, assistant professor at CU Denver's Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences.

Researchers found 110,068 lives could have been saved if adults with some college went on to complete their degrees.

CU, New York University and the University of North Carolina joined in the study, published Wednesday in the journal Plos One.

Public-health policy, Krueger says, has focused on diet, smoking, drinking and exercise, but perhaps it should add learning.

"Education is important because it sets the stage for a person's life," Krueger said. "It is an early intervention that helps define a person's career trajectory and income. Education allows people to improve their health in a lot of ways."

Improving education attainment could substantially improve survival in the U.S. population, Krueger said.

He predicts that deaths attributable to poor education will continue to increase.