INCREASES LONGEVITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE

Education level plays a major role in determining an individual’s quality of life. In the past 20 years, the life expectancy gap between the most educated and the least educated Americans has widened. Americans with less education are more likely to have serious health conditions than those with a higher level of education. Year after year, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that people with a college credential are more likely to have higher wages, employer-sponsored healthcare, paid vacation and leave, retirement savings, and work in lower-risk occupations.

Educational attainment also usually leads to the ability to live in a safer neighborhood, which is also a social determinant of health. Educational attainment is a contributing factor to being able to have a better understanding of health issues, being able to self-advocate, and choosing a healthier lifestyle. People with a higher education are less likely to experience the stress created by social and economic troubles associated with lower earnings and less education. Highly educated adults are more likely to have stronger and broader social networks, which yields access to financial, emotional, and psychological resources, thereby reducing stress and providing coping mechanisms to protect them from adverse health effects. Higher education, among many other social determinants of health, matters to health outcomes.