Education and health disparities: a macro, not micro, phenomenon.
Numerous studies have identified associations between education and various health outcomes. Education and health are commonly measured at the individual level; proposed solutions are also often oriented toward altering the characteristics of persons. Better educating more individuals is frequently suggested. Here it is argued that macro-level processes produce the associations observed across these studies. The institutional context, it is proposed, is structured such that better health is among the rewards of higher education. Institutional changes that decouple this connection between education level and health chances may be better suited to reducing social disparities in health than approaches that promote changes in individuals.
Myers
Douglas J
DJ
Duke University, Department of Community and Family Medicine, Durham, NC 27705, USA. douglas.myers@duke.edu
D004522:Educational Status; D006291:Health Policy; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D016272:Occupational Health; D012931:Social Environment