title: Explaining the effect of education on health: a field study in Ghana.
abstract: Higher education (or more years of formal schooling) is widely associated with better health, but the underlying causes of this association are unclear. In this study, we tested our schooling-decision-making model, which posits that formal education fosters intellectual ability, which in turn provides individuals with enduring competencies to support better health-related behaviors. Using data from a field study on formal education in 181 adults in rural Ghana, we examined health-protective behaviors related to HIV/AIDS infection, a critical health issue in Ghana. As expected, individuals with more education practiced more protective health behaviors. Our structural equation modeling analysis showed that cognitive abilities, numeracy, and decision-making abilities increased with exposure to schooling, and that these enhanced abilities (and not HIV/AIDS knowledge) mediated the effects of education on health-protective behavior. Research and policy implications for HIV prevention efforts in sub-Saharan Africa are discussed.
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University, USA. peters.498@osu.edu
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.forename: Nathan F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Dieckmann
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leon
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Collins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003657:Decision Making; D003906:Developing Countries; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology / Q000635:transmission; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012424:Rural Population