Low level of education as unsafe as smoking

The researchers did mention that they were not able to find definitive proof of a link between lack of education and death, however they stress that there is an undeniable link between the level of education one has and their risk of death, and that lack of education most likely plays some role in the risk of death.

The researchers collated data from the National Health Interview Survey from 1986-2004, particularly related to anticipated deaths through 2006, and specific-time survival models in relation to projected education and mortality rates among the different cohort groups. The scientists investigated how education levels affected mortality rates and also the cause of death such as cancer and heart disease.

They discovered that 145,243 deaths could have been saved in 2010 if adults who had not completed high school had gone on to earn a GED or high school degree.

“Our results suggest that policies and interventions that improve educational attainment could substantially improve survival in the US population, especially given widening educational disparities”, said Patrick Krueger, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver and the Population Program, Institute of Behavioral Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

That estimate is on a par with the number of deaths that could be avoided each year if all US smokers were to quit smoking, the researchers said. Although mortality rates among people with high school degrees dropped mildly, the same rates for those with college degrees dropped much more rapidly.

Citation: Krueger PM, Tran MK, Hummer RA, Chang VW (2015) Mortality Attributable to Low Levels of Education in the United States.

Some of the associations are quite obvious – a higher degree of education is typically associated with a higher income and a better social status, adopting healthier behaviors, and not neglecting your psychological and social well-being.

The study is published today (July 8) in the journal PLOS ONE. In addition, studies suggest that the advances in the treatment and prevention of heart disease in recent decades were reaped mainly by people with more education, the researchers said.

The conclusion of the researchers was that adults who have not finished high school should be encouraged to complete it. This could save twice as many lives in the case of those born in 1945 compared to the people born in 1925. “Education allows people to improve their health in a lot of ways”. They also believe that deaths due to poor education will continue to increase in the future. She is an associate professor of public health at New York University’s School of Culture, Education and Human Development and College of Global Public Health, and an associate professor of population health at NYU School of Medicine. “The bottom line is paying attention to education has the potential to substantively reduce mortality”.