Study Finds Intriguing Link Between Health and Education Level
According to the May 8 edition of the APTA's PT Bulletin Online, a new report has found that people across the country with lesser education also tend to be in poorer health. The study, conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America, further noted that "adults in every state fall far short of the level of good health that should be achievable for all Americans." While people with greater education were found to be healthier in general, the differences in some states were more dramatic than others. Notable findings included:
● Forty-five percent of American adults reported being in less than very good health. This rate varied from a high of 53 percent in Mississippi to a low of 35 percent in Vermont.
● Mississippi was also one of the states clearly evidencing a health gap related to education. Nearly three-quarters of Mississippi adults who had not graduated high school reported being in less than very good health, compared with 37 percent of college graduates.
● Vermont also demonstrated a notable education-related health gap, with 68 percent of non-high school graduates reporting they were in less than very good health compared to 22 percent of college graduates.
Health status differences by education level were seen within racial groups as well. Among African-Americans for example, 44 percent of college students nationally reported being in less than very good health compared with 62 percent of high school graduates and 73 percent of those who had not finished high school.
How do these results compare with your own perspective on education level relating to health? What do you think can be done to address the apparent disparity?