title: The education effect on population health: a reassessment.
abstract: Demographic research frequently reports consistent and significant associations between formal educational attainment and a range of health risks such as smoking, drug abuse, and accidents, as well as the contraction of many diseases, and health outcomes such as mortality—almost all indicating the same conclusion: better-educated individuals are healthier and live longer. Despite the substantial reporting of a robust education effect, there is inadequate appreciation of its independent influence and role as a causal agent. To address the effect of education on health in general, three contributions are provided: 1) a macro-level summary of the dimensions of the worldwide educational revolution and a reassessment of its causal role in the health of individuals and in the demographic health transition are carried out; 2) a meta-analysis of methodologically sophisticated studies of the effect of educational attainment on all-cause mortality is conducted to establish the independence and robustness of the education effect on health; and 3) a schooling-cognition hypothesis about the influence of education as a powerful determinant of health is developed in light of new multidisciplinary cognitive research.
authors: Pennsylvania State University.
authors: David P
authors: DP
authors: Baker
authors: Juan
authors: J
authors: Leon
authors: Emily G
authors: EG
authors: Smith Greenaway
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Collins
authors: Marcela
authors: M
authors: Movit
mesh_terms: D015984:Causality; D004194:Disease / Q000191:economics / Q000208:ethnology / Q000266:history / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D009026:Mortality / Q000208:ethnology / Q000266:history; D011157:Population Dynamics / Q000266:history; D011634:Public Health / Q000191:economics / Q000193:education / Q000266:history / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence