title: The effect of an early education program on adult health: the Carolina Abecedarian Project randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We explored whether a successful randomized controlled trial of early education, the Carolina Abecedarian Project (ABC), which enrolled infants from 1972 to 1977 at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, improved health outcomes and behaviors by 21 years of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  ABC randomized 111 infants to receive an intensive early education program or nutritional supplements and parental counseling alone; participants have been followed to the present day. We examined the effect of ABC on health outcomes and behavioral risk factors when participants were aged 21 years, and then explored the mediators of this relationship.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative to the control group, the ABC treatment group was previously found to have improved cognition and educational attainment. We found that the intervention also improved heath (P = .05) and health behaviors (P = .03) when participants were aged 21 years. These improvements in behaviors were not mediated by IQ, math and reading scores at 15 years of age, educational attainment, or health insurance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Effective early education programs may improve health and reduce risky health behaviors in adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. pm124@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muennig
authors.forename: Dylan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: Gretchen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Frances
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Elizabeth P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Pungello
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Neidell
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult