Education and health: The role of cognitive ability.
We aim to disentangle the relative impact of (i) cognitive ability and (ii) education on health and mortality using a structural equation model suggested by Conti et al. (2010). We extend their model by allowing for a duration dependent variable (mortality), and an ordinal educational variable. Data come from a Dutch cohort born between 1937 and 1941, including detailed measures of cognitive ability and family background in the final grade of primary school. The data are linked to the mortality register 1995-2011, such that we observe mortality between ages 55 and 75. The results suggest that at least half of the unconditional survival differences between educational groups are due to a 'selection effect', primarily on the basis of cognitive ability. Conditional survival differences across those having finished just primary school and those entering secondary education are still substantial, and amount to a 4 years gain in life expectancy, on average.
Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI-KNAW/University of Groningen), PO Box 11650, 2502 AR The Hague, The Netherlands; IZA, Bonn, Germany. Electronic address: bijwaard@nidi.nl.
Govert E
GE
Bijwaard
Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Tinbergen Institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Netspar, Tilburg, The Netherlands. Electronic address: hvankippersluis@ese.eur.nl.
Hans
H
van Kippersluis
Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands; ERCOMER, Utrecht/Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: veenman@ese.eur.nl.
Justus
J
Veenman
D000368:Aged; D003071:Cognition; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009426:Netherlands; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Cognitive ability; Duration model; Education; Mortality; Structural equation model