Did you know that how long you went
to school can actually affect how long you live? At every level of education, there is a difference
in life expectancy. This has been shown
time and again in studies controlling for other factors such as income, race, and
gender. Getting a high school diploma is
the first step in increasing one’s statistical longevity, and the advantages
above the high school level continue to increase for each year incrementally. There is a strong link between each year of
post-secondary education and:
·
Seat
belt use
·
Being
a Non Smoker
·
Avoiding
excessive alcohol (defined as more than 5 drinks in a sitting)
·
Having
working smoke detectors in the home
·
Having
a Body Mass Index (BMI) under 30
·
Getting
regular colorectal screening
·
Getting
regular mammograms
·
Access
to healthcare
Even when a 4 year degree isn’t
completed, there are still measurable statistical improvements from the additional
schooling. For example, smoking is
associated with a 6 year loss in life expectancy across the board, and for each
year of education after the 12th grade, the number of smokers continues to
drop. This effect is paralleled with that
of overeating and heavy drinking: each year of additional education reduces their
odds by a quantifiable amount. The
education effect even extends to spouses: for married people, their health is affected
by how educated their spouse is – the higher the spouse’s education level, the
better their health.
What is particularly interesting is
that the cost of the unhealthy behavior doesn’t predict the connection. For example, health insurance can be
expensive even with employer assistance, and there are almost always
co-pays. So it is not surprising that
more educated people have health insurance – after all, their income tends to
be higher and they are more likely to work for employers that assist with the
cost. Lack of health insurance is a known
barrier to getting adequate medical care.
People who have health insurance
are more likely to use preventative care that has a measurable effect on their
life expectancy - but the likelihood of screenings such as mammograms is still
stratified by educational level. And,
there are sharp differences in people reporting being unable to see a doctor
due to cost: 27% of high school
dropouts, 18% of high school graduates, but only 8% of college graduates.
It’s understandable that there would
be a connection between education level and access to health care. But what about practices and habits that
aren’t expensive? Smoke detectors have a
small cost but their implementation doesn’t follow income levels, rather, their
use is predicted by educational attainment. Similarly, it’s common knowledge that wearing
a seat belt saves lives, it cost nothing to buckle up, and it takes almost no
time. In spite of those facts seat belt
use isn’t universal, rather, it’s likelihood increases with education. Each year of formal education adds 3% to the
rate of seat belt usage. And when it
comes to harmful habits that clearly cost
money to engage in - smoking, drinking, and overeating - they tend to be more
prevalent the less formal education one has.
The association between life
expectancy and educational attainment was not always so pronounced. Back in 1960, studies showed very little
correlation. But perhaps it began with
the 1964 Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health, which resulted in a
clear decline in the number of educated people smoking. Since then, the amount and availability of
health information to the average person has exploded. During the last 25 years, the longevity disparity
based on education has increasingly expanded.
In fact, the difference is widest in the youngest segment of the
population and appears to be growing wider.
In the 21st century, higher educational attainment is
becoming more and more of an asset in increasing an individual’s life
expectancy.
