Insufficient Schooling Could Equal Harm as Severe as Smoking, Findings Indicate
In a groundbreaking study published in PLOS ONE, researchers from the University of Colorado Denver have revealed a strong correlation between educational achievement and life expectancy. The research, which was conducted on over a million individuals, exposes an unexpected threat to mortality rates: the profound impact of educational attainment.
According to the findings, staying in school isn't just about academic achievement, it's about survival. In 2010, approximately 145,000 deaths could have been prevented if high school dropouts had graduated. This threat, often referred to as an insidious silent epidemic, claims 145,000 lives annually not through disease or violence but through incomplete education.
The researchers used the same rigorous methodological approach as scientists use to calculate smoking-related mortality risks. The study suggests that dropping out of high school could be as deadly as maintaining a pack-a-day cigarette habit.
The research exposes a significant impact of educational attainment on mortality rates. Specifically, an additional four years of education reduces five-year mortality by about 1.8 percentage points and lowers risks of heart disease and diabetes by around 2.16 and 1.3 percentage points, respectively. Higher education correlates with better physical and mental health, fewer disease days, and reduced work loss due to sickness. These effects are comparable in magnitude to those associated with gender and race.
Mechanisms behind this include greater health knowledge, healthier behaviors (such as reduced smoking), better access to healthcare, and improved socioeconomic status. Education is linked to lower prevalence of modifiable risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure, and overweight. Regional variations in mortality can partly be explained by disparities in educational attainment, alongside other social determinants such as poverty.
The study challenges the conventional wisdom that health outcomes are determined by diet, exercise, and genetics. Policy implications for public health include investing in education as a long-term health strategy, targeting social determinants, integrating education with health promotion, and improving access to healthcare alongside education. These multidisciplinary policies can serve as foundational investments to improve population health and reduce mortality inequalities.
The research also indicates that education is a fundamental life-saving intervention, not just about academic achievement. Dr. Virginia Chang, another co-author, emphasizes that education should be a key element of US health policy as it is a more fundamental, upstream driver of health disparities.
Moreover, the study reveals that an additional 110,000 lives could have been saved if college dropouts completed their degrees. With 28.5% of Americans aged 25-34 yet to complete a college degree and more than 10% having not finished high school, these findings underscore the urgent need to address educational inequalities to improve public health outcomes.
Dr. Patrick Krueger, the study's co-author, states that unless these trends change, the mortality attributable to low education will continue to increase. It is clear that investing in education can lead to sustained reductions in mortality and chronic disease burden, making it a crucial investment for the future of public health.
Personal growth and learning extend beyond academic success, as an added four years of education can reduce five-year mortality by about 1.8 percentage points and lower risks of heart disease and diabetes. Education, therefore, is not just about academic achievement but also a fundamental life-saving intervention, as indicated by the study's findings.
