Heterogeneity in Educational Pathways and the Health Behavior of U.S. Young Adults

Abstract

An increasing number of U.S. adults are progressing through college in decidedly more complex ways. Little is known, however, about how this growing heterogeneity may be associated with the health behaviors and ultimately health of young adults. Using a life course perspective, we investigate whether and why different educational pathways – that is, variation in when people attend and complete school – are associated with daily smoking and binge drinking among U.S. young adults. We use 14 waves (1997–2011) of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 cohort (n=7,359) that enable us to identify the most common educational pathways, as well as their association with young adult health behaviors. Bachelor’s degree recipients who enrolled immediately after high school but did not attain their degree within 4 years were more likely to smoke daily in early adulthood (i.e., ages 26 to 32) than those who enrolled in college immediately after high school and attained a bachelor’s degree within 4 years. Conversely, bachelor’s degree recipients who delayed college enrollment were less likely to binge drink in early adulthood than individuals who enrolled in college immediately after high school and attained a bachelor’s degree within 4 years. Marital status and household income in young adulthood accounted for some of the relationships between educational pathways and health behavior. These findings highlight the complexity of education’s relationship to health behavior and strongly suggest that heterogeneity in educational pathways should be explicitly examined in population health research. Word Count: 241

Wide educational disparities in young adult cardiovascular health

“…In particular, many young adults may go on to earn advanced degrees. These young adults who complete their education later may have different social roles that prevented completion of their education earlier, and future health disparities research should consider timing to shed light on the mechanisms of education’s health benefits ( Frech, 2014 , Walsemann et al, 2018 ).…”

Educational Attainment and Health Behaviors Among Young Adult Men: Racial/Ethnic Disparities

“…Olson et al (2016) reported that young adult men with a postsecondary education but no additional degrees had lower risky health behaviors (e.g., less use of alcohol and drugs, less fast food consumption, greater physical activity, and more frequent visits to preventive health care appointments). Second, Walseman et al (2018) measured diverse pathways of educational attainment and explored how young adults who attended and completed college was associated with health behaviors, focusing on binge drinking and daily smoking, using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) 1997 cohort. Walseman et al (2018) identified that young adults with a Bachelor’s degree who enrolled immediately after high school and completed their degree within 4 years were less likely to engage in binge drinking and daily smoking than those who enrolled in college immediately after high school but did not complete their Bachelor’s degree within 4 years.…”

“…Second, Walseman et al (2018) measured diverse pathways of educational attainment and explored how young adults who attended and completed college was associated with health behaviors, focusing on binge drinking and daily smoking, using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) 1997 cohort. Walseman et al (2018) identified that young adults with a Bachelor’s degree who enrolled immediately after high school and completed their degree within 4 years were less likely to engage in binge drinking and daily smoking than those who enrolled in college immediately after high school but did not complete their Bachelor’s degree within 4 years. Lastly, Cowell (2006) investigated how high school and college degrees as well as number of years of schooling influenced health behaviors (e.g., smoking and binge drinking) among young adults using the NLSY.…”

“…Even though previous research has indicated that minorities tend to have fewer healthy behaviors and poorer health outcomes compared to Whites, only a few studies have investigated what factors affect these disparities and how they vary across race and ethnicity. In order to address these research gaps, this study will identify factors contributing to young adult men’s health behaviors, focusing on their educational attainment and considering its significant role in health-behavior development (Cowell, 2006; Olson et al., 2017; Walsemann et al., 2018). This study will also examine how the relationship between educational attainment and health behaviors differs by race/ethnicity among young adult men.…”

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Health Behaviors and Its Roles on Depressive Symptoms among Young Female Adults

“…Thus, it is also important for depressed young female adults to be encouraged to consume more fruits as fruit intake has an effect on their health. While other studies have not included a comprehensive concept of health behaviors [ 38 , 39 , 40 ], this study classified health behaviors in two dimensions to address both aspects of health behaviors: food intake and preventive healthcare visits. In this study, preventive healthcare visits did not influence depressive symptoms.…”