A wealth of research has …

Education and Health

Research shows that when a person has a stable job, they are more likely to have better health than a person who is unemployed or in a poor-quality job.^[1,2] People’s experience with the education system affects many parts of their life, both while they’re in school and long after they finish. People who get more education usually do better economically, socially, mentally, and in their behavior.^[2,3,4,5] In turn, these outcomes have a great effect on a person’s health. Lower levels of education have been linked to a variety of negative health outcomes and health behaviors. For these reasons, education is a key social determinant of health.^[6] Education is the process of teaching or learning. It can happen in formal and non-formal settings.^[1]

Educational Experience

There are four things that define educational experience, also called school determinants:

• Access to education
• Quality of education
• Access to school-based resources
• Educational attainment

School determinants play an important role in child health.^[7] In general, a supportive or strong school experience can increase a student’s self-rated health, reduce the number of health complaints, build their self-esteem, and encourage positive health behaviors.^[8] When kids are healthy and have a supportive school environment, it sets them up for better economic, social, and behavioral outcomes later in their lives.^[9]

Access to Education

Formal education systems should be available to every child. In the U.S., public schools help kids from kindergarten to 12th grade get an education. These schools are free, but sometimes there are extra costs that can be hard for some families. Private schools are another choice, but may not be available to all families due to location, tuition, or fees. In your community, school enrollment data can show whether the student-age population has access to school. If access to education is highly equitable, close to 100 percent of the population should be enrolled in school.

Quality of Education

The quality of the schools where children attend matters. Quality in education can take on many different meanings. However, people agree that it includes three main parts:^[42]

• Learning materials and tools
• Teachers
• Environment of the school

School-based Resources

Schools often provide a lot more than just regular classes. They can have extra programs and health services that help students. Kids who can use these extra resources at school usually have healthier habits and better health. ^{[84,85,86,87]}

Educational Attainment

The educational experience has several milestones. These include finishing 12th grade, going to college, graduating college, and receiving a graduate degree. Though everyone has a different educational path, educational attainment measures how many of the traditional milestones a student has completed. Generally, people with higher levels of education tend to have better health (and other) outcomes.^{[95,96,97,98]}