Over the last several decades, medical and population studies have continually identified that those with better education enjoy better health. Though the relationship between better education and better health is neither a direct nor a simple one, the research shows that those with more than just a basic education have a leg up with regard to good health over those who do not. The following are 10 health related problems for which level of education and health have been linked.
1)
Colon CancerA study conducted at the Centre for Epidemiology and Health Research in Berlin found that those with some level of university education were more than 35% less likely to develop
colon cancer than people with lower education levels.
2) StrokeResearchers at a number of institutions including Northwestern University and Peking University found that people who had higher level education had an almost 20% lower risk of developing atherosclerosis, the accumulation of plaque in the arteries, than those without the additional education.
3) Prostate CancerResearch conducted at the University of California-San Francisco found that having lower levels of education made people more prone to developing prostate cancer though the study did not report the exact risks.
4) Rate of Mental Decline with AgeUniversity of Michigan Medical School researchers found that those with higher education and income had 40% less impairment of their ability to think clearly and understand ideas as they aged.
5) Lung CancerIn a study with contributors including the Danish Cancer Society and the International Epidemiology Institute, researchers found that members of the public without a higher education had a rate of
lung cancer at least 70% higher than for people with such education.
6) Alzheimer's RiskResearch carried out at Rush University Medical Center relating to Alzheimer's Disease found that study participants with better education had better memory and thinking skills and were less likely to develop the disease than those with lower levels of education. However, education was not found to slow the rate of deterioration from the disease.
7) Risk of Stomach Cancer and Urinary CancersBased on research conducted by several institutions including the University of Iceland, scientists found that Icelanders with higher education had a roughly 30% lower risk of stomach and urinary tract cancers than those with only basic education or less.
8) Hospital Visits from Asthma AttacksIn recently reported news, research conducted at universities including the university of Montreal and Brown University found that those with lower levels of education were 55% more likely to have an emergency health visit as a result of an asthma attack. The researchers suggest that this may be as a result of higher exposure to indoor and outdoor pollutants by those with lower education.
9) Probability of Heart AttackIn research involving data from 52 countries, a study lead by Sahlgrenska University Hospital found that in wealthy countries, the risk of heart attack was 61% higher for those with only basic education. In low and middle-income countries, the risk was 25% higher. The researchers suggest these numbers arise from differences in level of understanding of those factors that affect heart health.
10) Rates of ObesityStudies conducted by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that obesity rates were 33% less in men and 82% less in women who had completed college. Given the various risks associated with
obesity, these findings clearly show the health benefits of some higher education.
In ConclusionLooking at these combined results, the benefits of higher-level education to our health are varied and many. As a result, it should come as no surprise that a study published by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reported that in the US, those who had some level of higher-level education had 10 to 20% better levels of health than those without. The researchers suggest that job stress, lower income and limited job options were likely contributors to the results.
While these top ten areas of health are improved by education, one notable exception in which not getting a higher education was a benefit was with regard to breast cancer.
Based on research led by the University of Iceland, women with higher education had a 25% higher risk of breast cancer than those with only basic education. In a similar study conducted by the University of Occupational and Environmental Health in Japan, the risk of breast cancer was found to be twice as much for women with higher education than for those without. The research suggests that delaying childbirth or not having children is the main risk for women to develop breast cancer.
All in all, the evidence is overwhelming in supporting the benefit of higher education to longer, healthier lives. If you are young and currently deciding your future or if you have children or grandchildren, you now have ten new reasons for staying in school and getting a degree. If you think the opportunity for education is long past for you,
think again and consider taking a few courses at a community college on the side.
Though New Year's resolutions are generally doomed to failure, getting an education is one resolution with numerous long-term benefits. Even a little additional education seems to go a long way.
Related Linkshttp://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/7/76
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/295/15/1793
http://www.jurology.com/article/S0022-5347(08)03286-2/abstract
http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2008/hmcognitive.htm
http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v98/n1/full/6604151a.html
http://www.rush.edu/professionals/pdfs/RushPhysicianMarch2009.pdf
http://informahealthcare.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/02841860801888773?cookieSet=1
http://www.groundreport.com/Health_and_Science/Women-with-higher-education-may-face-breast-cancer/2871521
http://respiratory-research.com/content/10/1/125
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BN2NM20091224
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5728a1.htm
http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=42420
