Education Improves Public Health and Promotes Health Equity

Abstract

This article describes a framework and empirical evidence to support the argument that educational programs and policies are crucial public health interventions. Concepts of education and health are developed and linked, and we review a wide range of empirical studies to clarify pathways of linkage and explore implications. Basic educational expertise and skills, including fundamental knowledge, reasoning ability, emotional self-regulation, and interactional abilities, are critical components of health. Moreover, education is a fundamental social determinant of health – an upstream cause of health. Programs that close gaps in educational outcomes between low-income or racial and ethnic minority populations and higher-income or majority populations are needed to promote health equity. Public health policy makers, health practitioners and educators, and departments of health and education can collaborate to implement educational programs and policies for which systematic evidence indicates clear public health benefits.

Out-of-School-Time Academic Programs to Improve School Achievement

“…4,11–13 While educational experiments are few, a wide range of studies are supportive of a causal effect of education on downstream health. 13 Standardized tests of academic achievement assess acquired knowledge and the ability to interact effectively in the classroom setting, reason, and solve problems.…”

“…4,11–13 While educational experiments are few, a wide range of studies are supportive of a causal effect of education on downstream health. 13 Standardized tests of academic achievement assess acquired knowledge and the ability to interact effectively in the classroom setting, reason, and solve problems. Because these abilities predict long-term health outcomes, 4,12,14,15 they provide a reasonable basis for use as outcomes in Community Guide health equity reviews.…”

Extent of Knowledge about HIV and Its Determinants among Men in Bangladesh

“…The factors that influence health- and illness-related knowledge and utilization of the knowledge to adhere to healthy behavior (e.g., adoption/avoidance of risky lifestyle, personal health management) are usually connected to an individual’s socioeconomic and community conditions and their family environment (16–18). Among many factors, the impact of education is one of the most widely studied in the context of health-related behavior, which reported a positive effect of education on self-efficacy and healthy behavior (19, 20). The underlying link between education and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is assumed to be the behavioral aspects that shape an individual’s perception of health and illness and the motivation for constant improvement (21).…”

Civil rights as determinants of public health and racial and ethnic health equity: Health care, education, employment, and housing in the United States

“…Equitable access to education is also essential for health equity, because it allows the development of basic knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and social-emotional skills (Hahn & Truman, 2015) that allow full participation in society (Hahn & Truman 2015; Ross & Wu 1995; Feinstein, Sabates, Anderson, Sorhaindo & Hammond, 2006). Equitable access to employment, living wages, and fair opportunity for promotion also increase the likelihood of income which, in turn, can maintain or improve health by multiple means.…”

“…We also report outcomes such as educational achievement, income, and employment because these outcomes are basic social determinants of health. When a social determinant of health is improved in a population, so is population health (Hahn & Truman 2015; Acevedo-Garcia & Osypuk 2008; American Public Health Association 2010; Binswanger, Redmond, Steiner & Hicks, 2012). While systematic review of this topic is needed, the goal here is to provide illustrative examples of evidence of the effects of civil rights laws on public health in recent history.…”