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The Importance of Health Education

Understanding the Numbers When reviewing job growth and salary information, it’s important to remember that actual numbers can vary due to many different factors — like years of experience in the role, industry of employment, geographic location, worker skill and economic conditions. Cited projections do not guarantee actual salary or job growth.

When it comes to building a healthy community, the importance of health education cannot be overlooked. Community health workers collaborate with all stakeholders in a community — from its citizens to its government, education and medical officials — to improve health and wellness and ensure equal access to healthcare.

First, What is Health Education?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health education is a tool to improve a population's general health and wellness through promoting knowledge and healthy practices ( WHO PDF source ).

Although the subject is often taught in school settings, students aren't the only ones who need to know about health. In fact, all age groups and demographics can benefit from health education.

Why is Health Education Important?

Community health education looks at the health of a community as a whole, seeking to identify health issues and trends within a population and work with stakeholders to find solutions to these concerns.

The importance of health education impacts many areas of wellness within a community, including:

• Chronic disease awareness and prevention
• Injury and violence prevention
• Maternal and infant health
• Mental and behavioral health
• Nutrition, exercise and obesity prevention
• Tobacco use and substance abuse

Community health educators work with public health departments, schools, government offices and even local nonprofits to design educational programs and other resources to address a community’s specific needs.

“As public health professionals, with aid of community leaders, we strive to ensure community wellness as it pertains to health education,” said Dr. Tanyi Obenson .

Obenson is a public health clinical faculty member at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) who holds a PhD in Public Health. “A healthier community is a better community,” he said.

How Does Health Education Impact a Community?

Health education can impact communities by addressing relevant issues and concerns at a local level. For example:

Healthcare Disparities

In addition to providing educational resources and programming to a community, public health educators also work to ensure all members of a community have equal access to wellness resources and healthcare services.

“When considering care access and delivery within communities, health equity and social justice are one in the same,” said Dr. Natalie Rahming , an adjunct healthcare faculty member at SNHU with almost two decades of experience working in the healthcare field. “The social determinants of health classify the various ways in which an individual’s identity characteristics and social positions are woven into a fabric of discrimination.”

According to Rahming, common health disparities include:

• Gender health disparities
• Racial or ethnic health disparities
• Rural and urban health disparities
• Socioeconomic health disparities

Rahming said racism and other disparities have manifested into unequal distribution of care across distinct groups over many generations.

“A community health worker seeks to abolish or ameliorate health inequity from a social lens, whereas other health care workers approach it at an individual perspective,” she said. “Both are critical for healthcare advancement.”

Community Health Education and Government Policy

The importance of health education also extends into policy and legislation development at a local, state and national level, informing and influencing key decisions that impact community health.

From campaigns and legislation to enforce seat belt use and prevent smoking to programs that boost the awareness and prevention of diabetes, public health workers provide research and guidance to inform policy development.

“The collaboration of community leaders is essential to form a shared commitment and results-oriented approach to improving the health of our most vulnerable populations,” she said.

The Economic Importance of Health Education

Health education can also boost a community’s economy by reducing healthcare spending and lost productivity due to preventable illness. 

Obesity and tobacco use, for example, cost the United States billions of dollars each year in healthcare costs and lost productivity.

According to the National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity (NCCOR), the annual loss in economic productivity due to obesity and related issues is expected to total as much as $580 billion by 2030 ( NCCOR PDF source ). The total economic cost of tobacco use costs the United States more than $300 billion each year, including $156 billion in lost productivity , according to the CDC. 

Programs designed to help community members combat expensive health issues not only boost individuals’ health but also provide a strong return on investment for communities.

According to the CDC, states with strong tobacco control programs see a $55 return on every $1 investment , mostly from avoiding costs to treat smoking-related illness. The national cost of offering the National Diabetes Prevention Program is about $500 per participant , significantly lower than the $9,600 spent on diabetes care per type 2 diabetes patient each year.

Find Your Program

How to become a community healthcare worker.

A community healthcare worker's goal is to help others, starting with education. 

To begin your career in community healthcare, you'll typically need a minimum of a high school diploma or associate degree . The work done within public health and community healthcare differs from other healthcare fields and impacts communities in different ways requiring different training and understanding of healthcare. 

“Unlike individual healthcare delivery, public health investigates the systems and trends that impact behaviors and outcomes within a community collectively," said Rahming. “This research facilitates the identification of needs and provision of tools to promote disease prevention, individual empowerment, and improved wellness that enhances the quality of life for all."

Earning your bachelor's degree in public health  or community health could help you advance your career and better understand your work. On top of your classroom education, many community health care workers are required to complete on-the-job training. According to BLS, training often covers communication, outreach, and information based upon your specific community health focus.

Public Health Education: A Growing Field

As the health, social and economic impacts of community health education continue to grow, so does the field of public health and health promotion.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the role of health education specialist is projected to grow by 7% through 2032, faster than the average for all occupations.*

BLS said that health education specialists usually need a bachelor's degree but that some health education specialist jobs require you to have a master's degree, too.

Earning your Master of Public Health (MPH) degree  could be a proactive way to expand your knowledge and prepare for a career in the public health education field. Whether you want to be a health education specialist or an epidemiologist, there are a variety of things you can do with your MPH . You can also focus your MPH studies on specific areas, such as global health, by adding a concentration to your degree. 

When considering MPH programs, look for one accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health ( CEPH ), such as SNHU's. CEPH is an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, and their accreditation means that the program has met the standards.

In an accredited MPH program, you can gain the skills you need to lead illness and disease prevention efforts, build community wellness programs and advocate for public health policy.

Whether you decide to pursue an MPH or community health education degree, the public health education field has a wide variety of settings where you may work. According to BLS, these settings include:  

• Government organizations and public health departments
• Hospitals and healthcare facilities
• Nonprofit organizations
• Private businesses and employee wellness programs
• Schools and colleges

“I believe that more and more communities are seeing benefits from wellness-related initiatives and receiving positive marks about them,” Gifford said. “Hence, community leaders are seeing this as not just a business-driven necessity, but also something that impacts the well being and quality of life of their citizens.”

Discover more about SNHU’s bachelor's in community health : Find out what courses you'll take, skills you’ll learn and how to request information about the program. 

*Cited job growth projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth. Actual salaries and/or earning potential may be the result of a combination of factors including, but not limited to: years of experience, industry of employment, geographic location, and worker skill.

Danielle Gagnon is a freelance writer focused on higher education. She started her career working as an education reporter for a daily newspaper in New Hampshire, where she reported on local schools and education policy. Gagnon served as the communications manager for a private school in Boston, MA before later starting her freelance writing career. Today, she continues to share her passion for education as a writer for Southern New Hampshire University. Connect with her on LinkedIn . 

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About southern new hampshire university.

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Founded in 1932, and online since 1995, we’ve helped countless students reach their goals with flexible, career-focused programs . Our 300-acre campus in Manchester, NH is home to over 3,000 students, and we serve over 135,000 students online. Visit our about SNHU  page to learn more about our mission, accreditations, leadership team, national recognitions and awards.

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The 10 Importance of Health Education

Importance of Health Education – Health education is important for individuals, families, and communities. It can help people learn about their health, make healthy choices, and reduce their risk of disease. Health education plays a crucial role in improving individual and community well-being. It encompasses the dissemination of knowledge and information to promote healthy lifestyles, prevent diseases, and enhance the overall quality of life. Here are 10 importance of health education.

Table of Contents

What is Health Education and Why is it important?

Health education is the process of providing knowledge and skills to promote good health. It’s important because it empowers individuals to prevent illness, adopt healthy behaviors, and make informed decisions about their well-being. It covers various topics, from disease prevention to mental health awareness, and helps create healthier communities while reducing healthcare costs.

Benefits of Health Education

When you embrace health education, you open the door to a host of benefits. First and foremost, it enhances your understanding of your body and mind. You’ll learn how to identify warning signs, spot the red flags, and take action before issues escalate. Moreover, it’s the secret to a longer, happier life. With the right knowledge, you can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, live with vitality, and enjoy your golden years to the fullest.

Definition of health education

Health education is the process of imparting knowledge and skills related to health and well-being. It aims to empower individuals with the information they need to make informed decisions about their health and adopt positive behaviors that contribute to overall wellness.

Here are 10 importance of health education:

Promotes Disease Prevention

One of the primary objectives of health education is to prevent diseases. By educating people about healthy practices, such as maintaining proper hygiene, exercising regularly, and having a balanced diet , health education can significantly reduce the risk of various illnesses and health conditions.

Empowers Individuals to Make Informed Decisions

Informed decision-making is vital for personal health management. Health education equips individuals with the necessary knowledge to assess health-related choices critically. This empowers them to make informed decisions about medical treatments, lifestyle changes, and preventive measures.

Encourages Healthy Behaviors

Health education inspires the adoption of healthy behaviors. When people are aware of the benefits of good habits like regular exercise, avoiding smoking, and excessive alcohol consumption, they are more likely to embrace these positive changes for a healthier life.

Reduces Healthcare Costs

Preventive measures encouraged through health education can lead to a significant reduction in healthcare costs. By preventing diseases and promoting healthier lifestyles, the burden on healthcare systems decreases, allowing resources to be allocated more efficiently.

Fosters a Healthier Society

A society that prioritizes health education experiences improved overall well-being. It creates a community that supports and encourages healthy choices, leading to a positive and productive environment for everyone.

Addresses Mental Health and Well-being

Health education isn’t limited to physical health; it also encompasses mental health. By promoting awareness about mental health issues and providing support systems, health education contributes to reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and improving overall well-being.

Improves the Quality of Life

When individuals take charge of their health through education and informed decision-making, they experience an enhanced quality of life. Good health positively impacts various aspects of life, including relationships, careers, and overall happiness.

Health Education in Schools and Communities

Schools and communities play a pivotal role in promoting health education . Integrating health education into school curriculums and community programs ensures that individuals receive the necessary information from an early age, establishing a foundation for lifelong healthy habits.

Health Education for a Sustainable Future

Health education is vital for creating a sustainable future. By raising awareness about environmental issues, healthy living, and responsible consumption, health education contributes to a greener, more sustainable planet.

10 importance of health education in schools

Health education in schools plays a crucial role in promoting overall well-being and empowering students to make informed decisions about their health. Here are ten important reasons why health education in schools is essential:

• Promotes Healthy Behavior: Health education equips students with knowledge about nutrition, physical activity, and hygiene, encouraging them to adopt healthy lifestyle choices.
• Disease Prevention: It educates students about common diseases, their causes, and prevention strategies, reducing the risk of illness.
• Sexual Education: Provides essential information about sexual health, safe practices, and contraceptive methods to reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
• Mental Health Awareness: Helps students recognize signs of mental health issues, reducing stigma, and encouraging seeking help when needed.
• Substance Abuse Prevention: Teaches about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, promoting responsible behavior and addiction prevention.
• Healthy Relationships: Educates students about healthy communication, consent, and building positive relationships while preventing abusive behavior.
• Safety Awareness: Teaches safety measures, first aid, and emergency response, ensuring students are prepared for unexpected situations.
• Nutrition and Diet: Provides knowledge about balanced diets, portion control, and food choices, reducing the risk of obesity and related health issues.
• Stress Management: Equips students with coping strategies for stress, anxiety, and emotional challenges, promoting mental resilience.
• Lifelong Skills: Imparts life skills such as decision-making, problem-solving, and critical thinking, which are essential for making informed health choices throughout life.

Aims and objectives of health education

The aims and objectives of health education are to:

• Increase health knowledge: Understand the body, its functioning, and how to maintain good health.
• Encourage healthy behaviors: Adopt a balanced diet, regular exercise, sufficient sleep, and avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
• Prevent diseases: Learn about specific risk factors and modify your lifestyle accordingly.
• Promote self-care: Equip individuals to manage their health and access necessary healthcare services.
• Empower individuals: Teach patients’ rights and self-advocacy for better health outcomes.
• Create supportive environments: Advocate for policies promoting healthy living, including nutritious food and physical activity.

The Purpose of Health Education in Nursing

Health education is a crucial component of nursing practice. It is the process of providing patients and communities with the knowledge, skills, and support they need to make informed decisions about their health and well-being.

Health education in nursing plays a number of important roles, including:

• Promoting health and preventing illness.  Health education empowers individuals to adopt healthy behaviors, make lifestyle changes, and take preventive measures to avoid illness and disease. By providing information about risk factors and healthy habits, nurses can help people lead healthier lives.
• Enhancing patient understanding.  Nurses educate patients about their medical conditions, treatment options, and medications. This helps patients understand their health conditions better, adhere to prescribed treatments, and actively participate in their care.
• Improving self-management.  For patients with chronic illnesses, health education equips them with the skills needed to manage their conditions effectively. This may include teaching them about symptom management, monitoring techniques, and when to seek medical help.
• Empowering patients.  Health education empowers patients to take charge of their own health. Nurses provide them with knowledge and tools to make informed decisions, enabling them to be active partners in their healthcare journey.
• Supporting healthy lifestyles.  Nurses promote healthy habits, such as proper nutrition, regular exercise, stress management, and adequate sleep. By educating patients about these lifestyle factors, nurses encourage the prevention of chronic diseases and overall well-being.
• Addressing health disparities.  Health education can target specific populations or communities that may face health disparities. By tailoring education to their unique needs, nurses can work towards reducing health inequalities.
• Community health promotion.  Nurses engage in health education at the community level to address public health concerns, raise awareness about prevalent health issues, and promote health initiatives that benefit the entire community.
• Facilitating recovery and rehabilitation.  Health education supports patients during the recovery and rehabilitation process, helping them understand post-treatment care, medications, and lifestyle adjustments to optimize their recovery outcomes.

Conclusion -Importance of Health Education

In conclusion, health education is an indispensable aspect of our society. By promoting disease prevention, empowering individuals to make informed decisions, and encouraging healthy behaviors, health education significantly improves individual and community well-being. It addresses physical and mental health, reduces healthcare costs, and fosters a healthier and more sustainable future.

FAQs -Importance of Health Education

What is health education.

Health education is the process of imparting knowledge and skills related to health and well-being to empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health.

How does health education promote disease prevention?

Health education disseminates information about healthy practices, which helps in reducing the risk of various diseases and health conditions.

Why is health education crucial in schools and communities?

Integrating health education in schools and communities ensures that individuals receive the necessary information from an early age, establishing a foundation for lifelong healthy habits.

Please note that this article is for informational purposes only and should not substitute professional medical advice.

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Health and education

Education has the power to transform the lives of children and young people, and the world around them. At UNESCO, inclusive and transformative education starts with healthy, happy and safe learners. Because children and young people who receive a good quality education are more likely to be healthy, and likewise those who are healthy are better able to learn and complete their education.

Guided by the UNESCO Strategy on education for health and well-being , UNESCO works to improve the physical and mental health, well-being and education outcomes of all learners. By reducing health-related barriers to learning, such as gender-based violence, gender inequality, HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), early and unintended pregnancy, bullying and discrimination, and malnutrition, UNESCO, governments and school systems empower learners to understand their rights, learn better and lead fulfilling lives.

What you need to know about education for health and well-being

Helping children learn about health and well-being

For healthy, informed and empowered learners

Supporting comprehensive sexuality education for adolescents and young people in Sub-Saharan Africa

Preventing and addressing violence in and around school

Key figures

is bullied at school every month globally

occur each year among adolescent girls aged 15–19

and almost half do not have handwashing facilities with water and soap

in 161 countries – nearly half of all children in primary school – receive school meals

A foundation for life and love campaign

What does comprehensive sexuality education mean to you?

A foundation for life and love

First technical brief in a series of four.

More publications

Why Education Matters to Health: Exploring the Causes

Americans with more education live longer, healthier lives than those with fewer years of schooling (see issue brief #1) . but why does education matter so much to health the links are complex—and tied closely to income and to the skills and opportunities that people have to lead healthy lives in their communities..

How are health and education linked? There are three main connections: 1

• Education can create opportunities for better health
• Poor health can put educational attainment at risk (reverse causality)
• Conditions throughout people’s lives—beginning in early childhood—can affect both health and education

The relationship between education and health has existed for generations, despite dramatic improvements in medical care and public health. Recent data show that the association between education and health has grown dramatically in the last four decades. Now more than ever, people who have not graduated high school are more likely to report being in fair or poor health compared to college graduates. 2 Between 1972 and 2004, the gap between these two groups grew from 23 percentage points to 36 percentage points among non-Hispanic whites age 40 to 64. African-Americans experienced a comparable widening in the health gap by education during this time period. The probability of having major chronic conditions also increased more among the least educated. 3 The widening of the gap has occurred across the country 4 and is discussed in more detail in Issue Brief #1 .

How important are years of school? Research has focused on the number of years of school students complete, largely because there are fewer data available on other aspects of education that are also important. It’s not just the diploma: education is important in building knowledge and developing literacy, thinking and problem-solving skills, and character traits. Our community research team noted that early childhood education and youth development are also important to the relationship between education and health.

This issue brief, created with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, provides an overview of what research shows about the links between education and health alongside the perspectives of residents of a disadvantaged urban community in Richmond, Virginia. These community researchers, members of our partnership, collaborate regularly with the Center on Society and Health’s research and policy activities to help us more fully understand the “real life” connections between community life and health outcomes.

1. The Health Benefits of Education

Income and resources.

“Being educated now means getting better employment, teaching our kids to be successful and just making a difference in, just in everyday life.” —Brenda

Better jobs: In today’s knowledge economy, an applicant with more education is more likely to be employed and land a job that provides health-promoting benefits such as health insurance, paid leave, and retirement. 5 Conversely, people with less education are more likely to work in high-risk occupations with few benefits.

Higher earnings: Income has a major effect on health and workers with more education tend to earn more money. 2 In 2012, the median wage for college graduates was more than twice that of high school dropouts and more than one and a half times higher than that of high school graduates. 6 Read More

Adults with more education tend to experience less economic hardship, attain greater job prestige and social rank, and enjoy greater access to resources that contribute to better health. A number of studies have suggested that income is among the main reasons for the superior health of people with an advanced education. 1 Weekly earnings rise dramatically for Americans with a college or advanced degree. A higher education has an even greater effect on lifetime earnings (see Figure 1), a pattern that is true for men and women, for blacks and whites, and for Hispanics and non-Hispanics. For example, based on 2006-2008 data, the lifetime earnings of a Hispanic male are $870,275 for those with less than a 9th grade education but $2,777,200 for those with a doctoral degree. The corresponding lifetime earnings for a non-Hispanic white male are $1,056,523 and $3,403,123. 7

“Definitely having a good education and a good paying job can relieve a lot of mental stress.” —Chimere

Resources for good health: Families with higher incomes can more easily purchase healthy foods, have time to exercise regularly, and pay for health services and transportation. Conversely, the job insecurity, low wages, and lack of assets associated with less education can make individuals and families more vulnerable during hard times—which can lead to poor nutrition, unstable housing, and unmet medical needs. Read More

Economic hardships can harm health and family relationships, 8 as well as making it more difficult to afford household expenses, from utility bills to medical costs. People living in households with higher incomes—who tend to have more education—are more likely to be covered by health insurance (see Figure 3). Over time, the insured rate has decreased for Americans without a high school education (see Figure 4).

Lower income and lack of adequate insurance coverage are barriers to meeting health care needs. In 2010, more than one in four (27%) adults who lacked a high school education reported being unable to see a doctor due to cost, compared to less than one in five (18%) high school graduates and less than one in 10 (8%) college graduates. 9 Access to care also affects receipt of preventive services and care for chronic diseases. The CDC reports, for example, that about 49% of adults age 50-75 with some high school education were up-to-date with colorectal cancer screening in 2010, compared to 59% of high school graduates and 72% of college graduates. 10

Social and Psychological Benefits

“So through school, we learn how to socially engage with other classmates. We learn how to engage with our teachers. How we speak to others and how we allow that to grow as we get older allows us to learn how to ask those questions when we're working within the healthcare system, when we're working with our doctor to understand what is going on with us.” —Chanel

Reduced stress: People with more education—and thus higher incomes—are often spared the health-harming stresses that accompany prolonged social and economic hardship. Those with less education often have fewer resources (e.g., social support, sense of control over life, and high self-esteem) to buffer the effects of stress.  Read More

Life changes, traumas, chronic strain, and discrimination can cause health-harming stress. Economic hardship and other stressors can have a cumulative, negative effect on health over time and may, in turn, make individuals more sensitive to further stressors. Researchers have coined the term “allostatic load” to refer to the effects of chronic exposure to physiological stress responses. Exposure to high allostatic load over time may predispose individuals to diseases such as asthma, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disease, and infections 11 and has been associated with higher death rates among older adults. 12

Social and psychological skills: Education in school and other learning opportunities outside the classroom build skills and foster traits that are important throughout life and may be important to health, such as conscientiousness, perseverance, a sense of personal control, flexibility, the capacity for negotiation, and the ability to form relationships and establish social networks. These skills can help with a variety of life’s challenges—from work to family life—and with managing one’s health and navigating the health care system. Read More

Many types of skills can be developed through education, from cognitive skills to problem solving to fostering key personality traits. Education can increase ‘learned effectiveness,’ including cognitive ability, self-control, and problem solving. 13 Personality traits, otherwise known as ‘soft skills’, are associated with success in education and employment and lower mortality rates. 14 One set of these personality traits has been called the ‘Big Five’: conscientiousness, openness to experience, being extraverted, being agreeable, andemotional stability. 15

These various forms of human capital are an important way that education affects health. For example, education may strengthen coping skills that reduce the damage of stress. Greater personal control may also lead to healthier behaviors, partly by increasing knowledge. Those with greater perceived personal control are more likely to initiate preventive behaviors. 13

Social networks: Educated adults tend to have larger social networks—and these connections bring access to financial, psychological, and emotional resources that may help reduce hardship and stress and improve health. Read More

Social networks also enhance access to information and exposure to peers who model acceptable behaviors. The relationship between social support and education may be due, in part, to the social and cognitive skills and greater involvement with civic groups and organizations that come with education. 16, 17 Low social support is associated with higher death rates and poor mental health. 18, 19

Education is also associated with crime. Among young male high school drop-outs, nearly 1 in 10 was incarcerated on a given day in 2006-2007 versus fewer than 1 of 33 high school graduates. 20 The high incarceration rates in some communities can disrupt social networks and weaken social capital and social control—all of which may impact public health and safety.

“Being able to advocate and ask for what you want, helps to facilitate a healthier lifestyle. … If it's needing your community to have green spaces, have a park, a playground, have better trails within the community, advocating for that will help.” —Chanel

Health Behaviors

Knowledge and skills: In addition to being prepared for better jobs, people with more education are more likely to learn about healthy behaviors. Educated patients may be more able to understand their health needs, follow instructions, advocate for themselves and their families, and communicate effectively with health providers. 21 Read More

People with more education are more likely to learn about health and health risks, improving their literacy and comprehension of what can be complex issues critical to their wellbeing. People who are more educated are more receptive to health education campaigns. Education can also lead to more accurate health beliefs and knowledge, and thus to better lifestyle choices, but also to better skills and greater self-advocacy. Education improves skills such as literacy, develops effective habits, and may improve cognitive ability. The skills acquired through education can affect health indirectly (through better jobs and earnings) or directly (through ability to follow health care regimens and manage diseases), and they can affect the ability of patients to navigate the health system, such as knowing how to get reimbursed by a health plan. Thus, more highly educated individuals may be more able to understand health care issues and follow treatment guidelines. 21–23 The quality of doctor-patient communication is also poorer for patients of low socioeconomic status. A review of the effects of health literacy on health found that people with lower health literacy are more likely to use emergency services and be hospitalized and are less likely to use preventive services such as mammography or take medications and interpret labels correctly. Among the elderly, poor health literacy has been linked to poorer health status and higher death rates. 24

Healthier Neighborhoods

“Poor neighborhoods oftentimes lead to poor schools. Poor schools lead to poor education. Poor education oftentimes leads to poor work. Poor work puts you right back into the poor neighborhood. It's a vicious cycle that happens in communities, especially inner cities.” —Albert

Lower income and fewer resources mean that people with less education are more likely to live in low-income neighborhoods that lack the resources for good health. These neighborhoods are often economically marginalized and segregated and have more risk factors for poor health such as:

• Less access to supermarkets or other sources of healthy food and an oversupply of fast food restaurants and outlets that promote unhealthy foods. 25

Nationwide, access to a store that sells healthier foods is 1.4 less likely in census tracts with fewer college educated adults (less than 27% of the population) than in tracts with a higher proportion of college-educated persons. 26 Food access is important to health because unhealthy eating habits are linked to numerous acute and chronic health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, heart disease, and stroke as well as higher mortality rates.

“If the best thing that you see in the neighborhood is a drug dealer, then that becomes your goal. If the best thing you see in your neighborhood is working a 9 to 5, then that becomes your goal. But if you see the doctors and the lawyers, if you see the teachers and the professors, then that becomes your goal.” —Marco

“It's a lot of things going on [in this community], a lot of challenges. It's just hard sometimes to try and get people to come together, as one, just so we can solve the problem.” —Toni

• Less green space, such as sidewalks and parks to encourage outdoor physical activity and walking or cycling to work or school.
• Rural and low-income areas, which are more populated by people with less education, often suffer from shortages of primary care physicians and other health care providers and facilities.
• Higher crime rates, exposing residents to greater risk of trauma and deaths from violence and the stress of living in unsafe neighborhoods. People with less education, particularly males, are more likely to be incarcerated, which carries its own public health risks.
• Fewer high-quality schools, often because public schools are poorly resourced by low property taxes. Low-resourced schools have greater difficulty offering attractive teacher salaries or properly maintaining buildings and supplies.
• Fewer jobs, which can exacerbate the economic hardship and poor health that is common for people with less education.
• Higher levels of toxins, such as air and water pollution, hazardous waste, pesticides, andindustrial chemicals. 27
• Less effective political influence to advocate for community needs, resulting in a persistent cycle of disadvantage.

2. Poor Health That Affects Education (Reverse Causality)

“Things that happen in the home can definitely affect a child being able to even concentrate in the classroom. … If you're hungry, you can't learn with your belly growling. … If you’re worried about your mom being safe while you're at school, you're not going to be able to pay attention.” —Chimere

The relationship between education and health is never a simple one. Poor health not only results from lower educational attainment, it can also cause educational setbacks and interfere with schooling.

For example, children with asthma and other chronic illnesses may experience recurrent absences and difficulty concentrating in class. 28 Disabilities can also affect school performance due to difficulties with vision, hearing, attention, behavior, absenteeism, or cognitive skills. Read More

Health conditions, disabilities, and unhealthy behaviors can all have an effect on educational outcomes. Illness, poor nutrition, substance use and smoking, obesity, sleep disorders, mental health, asthma, poor vision, and inattention/hyperactivity have established links to school performance or attainment. 25, 29, 30 For example, compared to other students, children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are three times more likely to be held back (retained a grade) and almost three times more likely to drop out of school before graduation. 31 Children who are born with low birth weight also tend to have poorer educational outcomes, 32, 33 and higher risk for special education placements. 34, 35 Although the impact of health on education (reverse causality) is important, many have questioned how large a role it plays. 1

3. Conditions Throughout the Life Course—Beginning in Early Childhood—That Affect Both Health and Education

A third way that education can be linked to health is by exposure to conditions, beginning in early childhood, which can affect both education and health. Throughout life, conditions at home, socioeconomic status, and other contextual factors can create stress, cause illness, and deprive individuals and families of resources for success in school, the workplace, and healthy living. Read More

Contextual factors throughout one’s life can affect education and health. For example, biological characteristics can affect educational success and health outcomes, as can socioeconomic and environmental conditions such as poverty or material deprivation. These influences appear to be particularly acute during early childhood, when children’s physical health and academic success can be influenced by biologic risk factors (e.g., low birth weight, chronic health conditions) and socioeconomic status (e.g., parents’ education and assets, neighborhood socioeconomic resources, such as day care and schools). 36 School readiness is enhanced by positive early childhood conditions—e.g., fetal wellbeing, social-emotional development, family socioeconomic status, neighborhood socioeconomic status, and early childhood education—but some of these same assets also appear to be vital to the health and development of children and their future risk of adopting unhealthy behaviors and adult diseases. 37 – 40 Early childhood is a period in which health and educational trajectories are shaped by a nurturing home environment, parental involvement, stimulation, and early childhood education, which can foster the development of social skills, adjustment and emotional regulation as well as learning skills. 41

What about social policy? Social policy—decisions about jobs, the economy, education reform, etc.—is an important driver of educational outcomes AND affects all of the factors described in this brief. For example, underperforming schools and discrimination affect not only educational outcomes but also economic success, the social environment, personal behaviors, and access to quality health care. Social policy affects the education system itself but, in addition, individuals with low educational attainment and fewer resources are more vulnerable to social policy decisions that affect access to health care, eligibility for aid, and support services.

A growing body of research suggests that chronic exposure of infants and toddlers to stressors—what experts call “adverse childhood experiences”—can affect brain development and disturb the child’s endocrine and immune systems, causing biological changes that increase the risk of heart disease and other conditions later in life (see Graphic 1). For example:

“The connection that I will say between education and health would be a healthy mind produces a healthy person. A motivated mind produces a motivated person. A curious mind produces a curious person. When you have those things it drives you to want to know more, to want to have more, to want to inquire more. And when you want more, you will get more. You know where the mind goes the person follows… and that includes health.” —Marco

• The adverse effects of stress on the developing brain and on behavior can affect performance in school and explain setbacks in education. Thus, the correlation between lower educational attainment and illness that is later observed among adults may have as much to do with the seeds of illnessand disability that are planted before children ever reach school age as witheducation itself.
• Children exposed to stress may also be drawn to unhealthy behaviors—such as smoking or unhealthy eating—during adolescence, the age when adult habits are often first established.

Instability in home and community life can have a negative impact on child development and, later in life, such outcomes as economic security and stable housing, which can also affect the physical and mental health of adults. Children exposed to toxic stress, social exclusion and bias, persistent poverty, and trauma experience harmful changes in the architecture of the developing brain that affect cognition, behavioral regulation, and executive function. 42, 43 These disruptions can thereby shape educational, economic, and health outcomes decades and generations later. 44 Dysfunctional coping skills as well as changes in parts of the brain associated with reward and addiction may draw children to unhealthy behaviors (e.g., smoking, alcohol or drug use, unsafe sex, violence) as teenagers.

Focusing on seven categories of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)*, researchers in the 1990s reported a “graded relationship” for poor health and chronic disease: the higher the exposure to ACEs as children, the greater the risk as adults of having ischemic heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lung disease, and diabetes 45  (see Figure 5). Chronic exposure to ACEs is now believed to disrupt children’s developing endocrine and immune systems, causing the body to produce stress hormones and proteins that produce chronic inflammation and lead later in life to heart disease and other adult health problems. 46 Chronic stress can also cause epigenetic changes in DNA that “turn on” genes that may cause cancer and other conditions. 47

Not surprisingly, exposure to ACEs also can stifle success in employment. 38, 48, 49 In one study, the unemployment rate was 13.2% among respondents with 4 or more ACEs, compared to 6.5% for those with no history of ACEs. 50

People who begin life with adverse childhood experiences can thus end up both with greater illness and with difficulties in school and the workplace, thereby contributing to the link between socioeconomic conditions, education, and health. An important way to improve these outcomes is to address the root causes that expose children to stress in the first place.

*The adverse childhood experiences explored were: psychological, physical, or sexual abouse; violence against mother; and living with household members who are substance abusers, mentally ill/suicidal, or ever imprisoned.

“We now know that adversity early in life can not only disrupt brain circuits that lead to problems with literacy; it can also affect the development of the cardiovascular system and the immune system and metabolic regulatory systems, and lead to not only more problems learning in school but also greater risk for diabetes and hypertension and heart disease and cancer and depression and substance abuse." —J Shonkoff (The Poverty Clinic, The New Yorker, March 21, 2011)

What about individual characteristics? Characteristics of individuals and families are important in the relationship between education and health. Race, gender, age, disability and other personal characteristics often affect educational opportunities and success in school (see Issue Brief #1). Discrimination and racism have multiple links to education and health. Racial segregation reduces educational and job opportunities 51 and is associated with worse health outcomes. 52, 53   How does education impact health in your community? The Center on Society and Health (CSH) worked with members of Engaging Richmond, a community-academic partnership that included residents of the East End, a disadvantaged neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia. This inquiry into the links between education and health was a pilot study to learn how individuals could add to our understanding of this complex issue using the lens of their own experiences. What does your community have to say about the links between education and health – or other health disparities? Learn more about community research partnerships and community engagement: Principles of Community Engagement, 2nd Edition Community Campus Partnerships for Health Community Engaged Scholarship Toolkit AHRQ — The Role of Community-Based Participatory Research CSH’s Community University Partnership

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Additional Resources

Download the abridged issue brief (PDF):

Why Education Matters to Health: Exploring the Causes is part two of the Education and Health Initiative , a four-part series seeking to raise awareness about the important connections between education and health. Learn more about the initiative here , and explore the other phases below:

Education: It Matters More to Health than Ever Before : An issue brief, animated video, and expanded web content highlighting the growing divergence in health status between Americans with and without an education.

Health Care: Necessary but not Sufficient : An issue brief discussing the role of improved access to health care (and health insurance) in countering the effects of an inadequate education. Health care is necessary but not sufficient in the face of determinants like education – even in places where health care is guaranteed, people with limited education tend to be sicker.

Education and Health: The Return on Investment : A series of issue briefs arguing that spending more to educate our youth could save more on health care costs, and that the reverse is true: cuts in education to "save" money ultimately drive up health care costs

• Open access
• Published: 06 April 2020

The influence of education on health: an empirical assessment of OECD countries for the period 1995–2015

• Viju Raghupathi 1 &
• Wullianallur Raghupathi 2  

Archives of Public Health volume  78 , Article number:  20 ( 2020 ) Cite this article

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A clear understanding of the macro-level contexts in which education impacts health is integral to improving national health administration and policy. In this research, we use a visual analytic approach to explore the association between education and health over a 20-year period for countries around the world.

Using empirical data from the OECD and the World Bank for 26 OECD countries for the years 1995–2015, we identify patterns/associations between education and health indicators. By incorporating pre- and post-educational attainment indicators, we highlight the dual role of education as both a driver of opportunity as well as of inequality.

Adults with higher educational attainment have better health and lifespans compared to their less-educated peers. We highlight that tertiary education, particularly, is critical in influencing infant mortality, life expectancy, child vaccination, and enrollment rates. In addition, an economy needs to consider potential years of life lost (premature mortality) as a measure of health quality.

Conclusions

We bring to light the health disparities across countries and suggest implications for governments to target educational interventions that can reduce inequalities and improve health. Our country-level findings on NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) rates offer implications for economies to address a broad array of vulnerabilities ranging from unemployment, school life expectancy, and labor market discouragement. The health effects of education are at the grass roots-creating better overall self-awareness on personal health and making healthcare more accessible.

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Introduction

Is education generally associated with good health? There is a growing body of research that has been exploring the influence of education on health. Even in highly developed countries like the United States, it has been observed that adults with lower educational attainment suffer from poor health when compared to other populations [ 36 ]. This pattern is attributed to the large health inequalities brought about by education. A clear understanding of the health benefits of education can therefore serve as the key to reducing health disparities and improving the well-being of future populations. Despite the growing attention, research in the education–health area does not offer definitive answers to some critical questions. Part of the reason is the fact that the two phenomena are interlinked through life spans within and across generations of populations [ 36 ], thereby involving a larger social context within which the association is embedded. To some extent, research has also not considered the variances in the education–health relationship through the course of life or across birth cohorts [ 20 ], or if there is causality in the same. There is therefore a growing need for new directions in education–health research.

The avenues through which education affects health are complex and interwoven. For one, at the very outset, the distribution and content of education changes over time [ 20 ]. Second, the relationship between the mediators and health may change over time, as healthcare becomes more expensive and/or industries become either more, or less hazardous. Third, some research has documented that even relative changes in socioeconomic status (SES) can affect health, and thus changes in the distribution of education implies potential changes in the relationship between education and health. The relative index of inequality summarizes the magnitude of SES as a source of inequalities in health [ 11 , 21 , 27 , 29 ]. Fourth, changes in the distribution of health and mortality imply that the paths to poor health may have changed, thereby affecting the association with education.

Research has proposed that the relationship between education and health is attributable to three general classes of mediators: economic; social, psychological, and interpersonal; and behavioral health [ 31 ]. Economic variables such as income and occupation mediate the relationship between education and health by controlling and determining access to acute and preventive medical care [ 1 , 2 , 19 ]. Social, psychological, and interpersonal resources allow people with different levels of education to access coping resources and strategies [ 10 , 34 ], social support [ 5 , 22 ], and problem-solving and cognitive abilities to handle ill-health consequences such as stress [ 16 ]. Healthy behaviors enable educated individuals to recognize symptoms of ill health in a timely manner and seek appropriate medical help [ 14 , 35 ].

While the positive association between education and health has been established, the explanations for this association are not [ 31 ]. People who are well educated experience better health as reflected in the high levels of self-reported health and low levels of morbidity, mortality, and disability. By extension, low educational attainment is associated with self-reported poor health, shorter life expectancy, and shorter survival when sick. Prior research has suggested that the association between education and health is a complicated one, with a range of potential indicators that include (but are not limited to) interrelationships between demographic and family background indicators [ 8 ] - effects of poor health in childhood, greater resources associated with higher levels of education, appreciation of good health behaviors, and access to social networks. Some evidence suggests that education is strongly linked to health determinants such as preventative care [ 9 ]. Education helps promote and sustain healthy lifestyles and positive choices, nurture relationships, and enhance personal, family, and community well-being. However, there are some adverse effects of education too [ 9 ]. Education may result in increased attention to preventive care, which, though beneficial in the long term, raises healthcare costs in the short term. Some studies have found a positive association between education and some forms of illicit drug and alcohol use. Finally, although education is said to be effective for depression, it has been found to have much less substantial impact in general happiness or well-being [ 9 ].

On a universal scale, it has been accepted that several social factors outside the realm of healthcare influence the health outcomes [ 37 ]. The differences in morbidity, mortality and risk factors in research, conducted within and between countries, are impacted by the characteristics of the physical and social environment, and the structural policies that shape them [ 37 ]. Among the developed countries, the United States reflects huge disparities in educational status over the last few decades [ 15 , 24 ]. Life expectancy, while increasing for all others, has decreased among white Americans without a high school diploma - particularly women [ 25 , 26 , 32 ]. The sources of inequality in educational opportunities for American youth include the neighborhood they live in, the color of their skin, the schools they attend, and the financial resources of their families. In addition, the adverse trends in mortality and morbidity brought on by opioids resulting in suicides and overdoses (referred to as deaths of despair) exacerbated the disparities [ 21 ]. Collectively, these trends have brought about large economic and social inequalities in society such that the people with more education are likely to have more health literacy, live longer, experience better health outcomes, practice health promoting behaviors, and obtain timely health checkups [ 21 , 17 ].

Education enables people to develop a broad range of skills and traits (including cognitive and problem-solving abilities, learned effectiveness, and personal control) that predispose them towards improved health outcomes [ 23 ], ultimately contributing to human capital. Over the years, education has paved the way for a country’s financial security, stable employment, and social success [ 3 ]. Countries that adopt policies for the improvement of education also reap the benefits of healthy behavior such as reducing the population rates of smoking and obesity. Reducing health disparities and improving citizen health can be accomplished only through a thorough understanding of the health benefits conferred by education.

There is an iterative relationship between education and health. While poor education is associated with poor health due to income, resources, healthy behaviors, healthy neighborhood, and other socioeconomic factors, poor health, in turn, is associated with educational setbacks and interference with schooling through difficulties with learning disabilities, absenteeism, or cognitive disorders [ 30 ]. Education is therefore considered an important social determinant of health. The influence of national education on health works through a variety of mechanisms. Generally, education shows a relationship with self-rated health, and thus those with the highest education may have the best health [ 30 ]. Also, health-risk behaviors seem to be reduced by higher expenditure into the publicly funded education system [ 18 ], and those with good education are likely to have better knowledge of diseases [ 33 ]. In general, the education–health gradients for individuals have been growing over time [ 38 ].

To inform future education and health policies effectively, one needs to observe and analyze the opportunities that education generates during the early life span of individuals. This necessitates the adoption of some fundamental premises in research. Research must go beyond pure educational attainment and consider the associated effects preceding and succeeding such attainment. Research should consider the variations brought about by the education–health association across place and time, including the drivers that influence such variations [ 36 ].

In the current research, we analyze the association between education and health indicators for various countries using empirical data from reliable sources such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and World Bank. While many studies explore the relationship between education and health at a conceptual level, we deploy an empirical approach in investigating the patterns and relationships between the two sets of indicators. In addition, for the educational indicators, we not only incorporate the level of educational attainment, but also look at the potential socioeconomic benefits, such as enrollment rates (in each sector of educational level) and school life expectancy (at each educational level). We investigate the influences of educational indicators on national health indicators of infant mortality, child vaccinations, life expectancy at birth, premature mortality arising from lack of educational attainment, employment and training, and the level of national health expenditure. Our research question is:

What are some key influencers/drivers in the education-health relationship at a country level?

The current study is important because policy makers have an increasing concern on national health issues and on policies that support it. The effect of education is at the root level—creating better overall self-awareness on personal health and making healthcare more accessible. The paper is organized as follows: Section 2 discusses the background for the research. Section 3 discusses the research method; Section 4 offers the analysis and results; Section 5 provides a synthesis of the results and offers an integrated discussion; Section 6 contains the scope and limitations of the research; Section 7 offers conclusions with implications and directions for future research.

Research has traditionally drawn from three broad theoretical perspectives in conceptualizing the relationship between education and health. The majority of research over the past two decades has been grounded in the Fundamental Cause Theory (FCT) [ 28 ], which posits that factors such as education are fundamental social causes of health inequalities because they determine access to resources (such as income, safe neighborhoods, or healthier lifestyles) that can assist in protecting or enhancing health [ 36 ]. Some of the key social resources that contribute to socioeconomic status include education (knowledge), money, power, prestige, and social connections. As some of these undergo change, they will be associated with differentials in the health status of the population [ 12 ].

Education has also been conceptualized using the Human Capital Theory (HCT) that views it as a return on investment in the form of increased productivity [ 4 ]. Education improves knowledge, skills, reasoning, effectiveness, and a broad range of other abilities that can be applied to improving health. The third approach - the signaling or credentialing perspective [ 6 ] - is adopted to address the large discontinuities in health at 12 and 16 years of schooling, which are typically associated with the receipt of a high school diploma and a college degree, respectively. This perspective considers the earned credentials of a person as a potential source that warrants social and economic returns. All these theoretical perspectives postulate a strong association between education and health and identify mechanisms through which education influences health. While the HCT proposes the mechanisms as embodied skills and abilities, FCT emphasizes the dynamism and flexibility of mechanisms, and the credentialing perspective proposes educational attainment through social responses. It needs to be stated, however, that all these approaches focus on education solely in terms of attainment, without emphasizing other institutional factors such as quality or type of education that may independently influence health. Additionally, while these approaches highlight the individual factors (individual attainment, attainment effects, and mechanisms), they do not give much emphasis to the social context in which education and health processes are embedded.

In the current research while we acknowledge the tenets of these theoretical perspectives, we incorporate the social mechanisms in education such as level of education, skills and abilities brought about by enrollment, school life expectancy, and the potential loss brought about by premature mortality. In this manner, we highlight the relevance of the social context in which the education and health domains are situated. We also study the dynamism of the mechanisms over countries and over time and incorporate the influences that precede and succeed educational attainment.

We analyze country level education and health data from the OECD and World Bank for a period of 21 years (1995–2015). Our variables include the education indicators of adult education level; enrollment rates at various educational levels; NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) rates; school life expectancy; and the health indicators of infant mortality, child vaccination rates, deaths from cancer, life expectancy at birth, potential years of life lost and smoking rates (Table 1 ). The data was processed using the tools of Tableau for visualization, and SAS for correlation and descriptive statistics. Approaches for analysis include ranking, association, and data visualization of the health and education data.

Analyses and results

In this section we identify and analyze patterns and associations between education and health indicators and discuss the results. Since countries vary in population sizes and other criteria, we use the estimated averages in all our analyses.

Comparison of health outcomes for countries by GDP per capita

We first analyzed to see if our data reflected the expectation that countries with higher GDP per capita have better health status (Fig. 1 ). We compared the average life expectancy at birth, average infant mortality, average deaths from cancer and average potential year of life lost, for different levels of GDP per capita (Fig. 1 ).

Associations between Average Life Expectancy (years) and Average Infant Mortality rate (per 1000), and between Deaths from Cancer (rates per 100,000) and Average Potential Years of Life Lost (years), by GDP per capita (for all countries for years 1995–2015)

Figure 1 depicts two charts with the estimated averages of variables for all countries in the sample. The X-axis of the first chart depicts average infant mortality rate (per 1000), while that of the second chart depicts average potential years of life lost (years). The Y-axis for both charts depicts the GDP per capita shown in intervals of 10 K ranging from 0 K–110 K (US Dollars). The analysis is shown as an average for all the countries in the sample and for all the years (1995–2015). As seen in Fig. 1 , countries with lower GDP per capita have higher infant mortality rate and increased potential year of life lost (which represents the average years a person would have lived if he or she had not died prematurely - a measure of premature mortality). Life expectancy and deaths from cancer are not affected by GDP level. When studying infant mortality and potential year lost, in order to avoid the influence of a control variable, it was necessary to group the samples by their GDP per capita level.

Association of Infant Mortality Rates with enrollment rates and education levels

We explored the association of infant mortality rates with the enrollment rates and adult educational levels for all countries (Fig. 2 ). The expectation is that with higher education and employment the infant mortality rate decreases.

Association of Adult Education Levels (ratio) and Enrollment Rates (ratio) with Infant Mortality Rate (per 1000)

Figure 2 depicts the analysis for all countries in the sample. The figure shows the years from 1995 to 2015 on the X axis. It shows two Y-axes with one axis denoting average infant mortality rate (per 1000 live births), and the other showing the rates from 0 to 120 to depict enrollment rates (primary/secondary/tertiary) and education levels (below secondary/upper secondary/tertiary). Regarding the Y axis showing rates over 100, it is worth noting that the enrollment rates denote a ratio of the total enrollment (regardless of age) at a level of education to the official population of the age group in that education level. Therefore, it is possible for the number of children enrolled at a level to exceed the official population of students in the age group for that level (due to repetition or late entry). This can lead to ratios over 100%. The figure shows that in general, all education indicators tend to rise over time, except for adult education level below secondary, which decreases over time. Infant mortality shows a steep decreasing trend over time, which is favorable. In general, countries have increasing health status and education over time, along with decreasing infant mortality rates. This suggests a negative association of education and enrollment rates with mortality rates.

Association of Education Outcomes with life expectancy at birth

We explored if the education outcomes of adult education level (tertiary), school life expectancy (tertiary), and NEET (not in employment, education, or training) rates, affected life expectancy at birth (Fig. 3 ). Our expectation is that adult education and school life expectancy, particularly tertiary, have a positive influence, while NEET has an adverse influence, on life expectancy at birth.

Association of Adult Education Level (Tertiary), NEET rate, School Life Expectancy (Tertiary), with Life Expectancy at Birth

Figure 3 show the relationships between various education indicators (adult education level-tertiary, NEET rate, school life expectancy-tertiary) and life expectancy at birth for all countries in the sample. The figure suggests that life expectancy at birth rises as adult education level (tertiary) and tertiary school life expectancy go up. Life expectancy at birth drops as the NEET rate goes up. In order to extend people’s life expectancy, governments should try to improve tertiary education, and control the number of youths dropping out of school and ending up unemployed (the NEET rate).

Association of Tertiary Enrollment and Education with potential years of life lost

We wanted to explore if the potential years of life lost rates are affected by tertiary enrollment rates and tertiary adult education levels (Fig. 4 ).

Association of Enrollment rate-tertiary (top) and Adult Education Level-Tertiary (bottom) with Potential Years of Life Lost (Y axis)

The two sets of box plots in Fig. 4 compare the enrollment rates with potential years of life lost (above set) and the education level with potential years of life lost (below set). The analysis is for all countries in the sample. As mentioned earlier, the enrollment rates are expressed as ratios and can exceed 100% if the number of children enrolled at a level (regardless of age) exceed the official population of students in the age group for that level. Potential years of life lost represents the average years a person would have lived, had he/she not died prematurely. The results show that with the rise of tertiary adult education level and tertiary enrollment rate, there is a decrease in both value and variation of the potential years of life lost. We can conclude that lower levels in tertiary education adversely affect a country’s health situation in terms of premature mortality.

Association of Tertiary Enrollment and Education with child vaccination rates

We compared the performance of tertiary education level and enrollment rates with the child vaccination rates (Fig. 5 ) to assess if there was a positive impact of education on preventive healthcare.

Association of Adult Education Level-Tertiary and Enrollment Rate-Tertiary with Child Vaccination Rates

In this analysis (Fig. 5 ), we looked for associations of child vaccination rates with tertiary enrollment and tertiary education. The analysis is for all countries in the sample. The color of the bubble represents the tertiary enrollment rate such that the darker the color, the higher the enrollment rate, and the size of the bubble represents the level of tertiary education. The labels inside the bubbles denote the child vaccination rates. The figure shows a general positive association of high child vaccination rate with tertiary enrollment and tertiary education levels. This indicates that countries that have high child vaccination rates tend to be better at tertiary enrollment and have more adults educated in tertiary institutions. Therefore, countries that focus more on tertiary education and enrollment may confer more health awareness in the population, which can be reflected in improved child vaccination rates.

Association of NEET rates (15–19; 20–24) with infant mortality rates and deaths from Cancer

In the realm of child health, we also looked at the infant mortality rates. We explored if infant mortality rates are associated with the NEET rates in different age groups (Fig. 6 ).

Association of Infant Mortality rates with NEET Rates (15–19) and NEET Rates (20–24)

Figure 6 is a scatterplot that explores the correlation between infant mortality and NEET rates in the age groups 15–19 and 20–24. The data is for all countries in the sample. Most data points are clustered in the lower infant mortality and lower NEET rate range. Infant mortality and NEET rates move in the same direction—as infant mortality increases/decrease, the NEET rate goes up/down. The NEET rate for the age group 20–24 has a slightly higher infant mortality rate than the NEET rate for the age group 15–19. This implies that when people in the age group 20–24 are uneducated or unemployed, the implications on infant mortality are higher than in other age groups. This is a reasonable association, since there is the potential to have more people with children in this age group than in the teenage group. To reduce the risk of infant mortality, governments should decrease NEET rates through promotional programs that disseminate the benefits of being educated, employed, and trained [ 7 ]. Additionally, they can offer financial aid to public schools and companies to offer more resources to raise general health awareness in people.

We looked to see if the distribution of population without employment, education, or training (NEET) in various categories of high, medium, and low impacted the rate of deaths from cancer (Fig. 7 ). Our expectation is that high rates of NEET will positively influence deaths from cancer.

Association of Deaths from Cancer and different NEET Rates

The three pie charts in Fig. 7 show the distribution of deaths from cancer in groups of countries with different NEET rates (high, medium, and low). The analysis includes all countries in the sample. The expectation was that high rates of NEET would be associated with high rates of cancer deaths. Our results, however, show that countries with medium NEET rates tend to have the highest deaths from cancer. Countries with high NEET rates have the lowest deaths from cancer among the three groups. Contrary to expectations, countries with low NEET rates do not show the lowest death rates from cancer. A possible explanation for this can be attributed to the fact that in this group, the people in the labor force may be suffering from work-related hazards including stress, that endanger their health.

Association between adult education levels and health expenditure

It is interesting to note the relationship between health expenditure and adult education levels (Fig. 8 ). We expect them to be positively associated.

Association of Health Expenditure and Adult Education Level-Tertiary & Upper Secondary

Figure 8 shows a heat map with the number of countries in different combinations of groups between tertiary and upper-secondary adult education level. We emphasize the higher levels of adult education. The color of the square shows the average of health expenditure. The plot shows that most of the countries are divided into two clusters. One cluster has a high tertiary education level as well as a high upper-secondary education level and it has high average health expenditure. The other cluster has relatively low tertiary and upper secondary education level with low average health expenditure. Overall, the figure shows a positive correlation between adult education level and compulsory health expenditure. Governments of countries with low levels of education should allocate more health expenditure, which will have an influence on the educational levels. Alternatively, to improve public health, governments can frame educational policies to improve the overall national education level, which then produces more health awareness, contributing to national healthcare.

Association of Compulsory Health Expenditure with NEET rates by country and region

Having explored the relationship between health expenditure and adult education, we then explored the relationship between health expenditure and NEET rates of different countries (Fig. 9 ). We expect compulsory health expenditure to be negatively associated with NEET rates.

Association between Compulsory Health Expenditure and NEET Rate by Country and Region

In Fig. 9 , each box represents a country or region; the size of the box indicates the extent of compulsory health expenditure such that a larger box implies that the country has greater compulsory health expenditure. The intensity of the color of the box represents the NEET rate such that the darker color implies a higher NEET rate. Turkey has the highest NEET rate with low health expenditure. Most European countries such as France, Belgium, Sweden, and Norway have low NEET rates and high health expenditure. The chart shows a general association between low compulsory health expenditure and high NEET rates. The relationship, however, is not consistent, as there are countries with high NEET and high health expenditures. Our suggestion is for most countries to improve the social education for the youth through free training programs and other means to effectively improve the public health while they attempt to raise the compulsory expenditure.

Distribution of life expectancy at birth and tertiary enrollment rate

The distribution of enrollment rate (tertiary) and life expectancy of all the countries in the sample can give an idea of the current status of both education and health (Fig. 10 ). We expect these to be positively associated.

Distribution of Life Expectancy at Birth (years) and Tertiary Enrollment Rate

Figure 10 shows two histograms with the lines representing the distribution of life expectancy at birth and the tertiary enrollment rate of all the countries. The distribution of life expectancy at birth is skewed right, which means most of the countries have quite a high life expectancy and there are few countries with a very low life expectancy. The tertiary enrollment rate has a good distribution, which is closer to a normal distribution. Governments of countries with an extremely low life expectancy should try to identify the cause of this problem and take actions in time to improve the overall national health.

Comparison of adult education levels and deaths from Cancer at various levels of GDP per capita

We wanted to see if various levels of GDP per capita influence the levels of adult education and deaths from cancer in countries (Fig. 11 ).

Comparison of Adult Education Levels and Deaths from Cancer at various levels of GDP per capita

Figure 11 shows the distribution of various adult education levels for countries by groups of GDP per capita. The plot shows that as GDP grows, the level of below-secondary adult education becomes lower, and the level of tertiary education gets higher. The upper-secondary education level is constant among all the groups. The implication is that tertiary education is the most important factor among all the education levels for a country to improve its economic power and health level. Countries should therefore focus on tertiary education as a driver of economic development. As for deaths from cancer, countries with lower GDP have higher death rates, indicating the negative association between economic development and deaths from cancer.

Distribution of infant mortality rates by continent

Infant mortality is an important indicator of a country’s health status. Figure 12 shows the distribution of infant mortality for the continents of Asia, Europe, Oceania, North and South America. We grouped the countries in each continent into high, medium, and low, based on infant mortality rates.

Distribution of Infant Mortality rates by Continent

In Fig. 12 , each bar represents a continent. All countries fall into three groups (high, medium, and low) based on infant mortality rates. South America has the highest infant mortality, followed by Asia, Europe, and Oceania. North America falls in the medium range of infant mortality. South American countries, in general, should strive to improve infant mortality. While Europe, in general, has the lowest infant mortality rates, there are some countries that have high rates as depicted.

Association between child vaccination rates and NEET rates

We looked at the association between child vaccination rates and NEET rates in various countries (Fig. 13 ). We expect countries that have high NEET rates to have low child vaccination rates.

Association between Child Vaccination Rates and NEET rates

Figure 13 displays the child vaccination rates in the first map and the NEET rates in the second map, for all countries. The darker green color shows countries with higher rates of vaccination and the darker red represents those with higher NEET rates. It can be seen that in general, the countries with lower NEET also have better vaccination rates. Examples are USA, UK, Iceland, France, and North European countries. Countries should therefore strive to reduce NEET rates by enrolling a good proportion of the youth into initiatives or programs that will help them be more productive in the future, and be able to afford preventive healthcare for the families, particularly, the children.

Average smoking rate in different continents over time

We compared the trend of average smoking rate for the years 1995–201 for the continents in the sample (Fig. 14 ).

Trend of average smoking rate in different continents from 1995 to 2015

Figure 14 depicts the line charts of average smoking rates for the continents of Asia, Europe, Oceania, North and South America. All the lines show an overall downward trend, which indicates that the average smoking rate decreases with time. The trend illustrates that people have become more health conscious and realize the harmful effects of smoking over time. However, the smoking rate in Europe (EU) is consistently higher than that in other continents, while the smoking rate in North America (NA) is consistently lower over the years. Governments in Europe should pay attention to the usage of tobacco and increase health consciousness among the public.

Association between adult education levels and deaths from Cancer

We explored if adult education levels (below-secondary, upper-secondary, and tertiary) are associated with deaths from cancer (Fig. 15 ) such that higher levels of education will mitigate the rates of deaths from cancer, due to increased awareness and proactive health behavior.

Association of deaths from cancer with adult education levels

Figure 15 shows the correlations of deaths from cancer among the three adult education levels, for all countries in the sample. It is obvious that below-secondary and tertiary adult education levels have a negative correlation with deaths from cancer, while the upper-secondary adult education level shows a positive correlation. Barring upper-secondary results, we can surmise that in general, as education level goes higher, the deaths from cancer will decrease. The rationale for this could be that education fosters more health awareness and encourages people to adopt healthy behavioral practices. Governments should therefore pay attention to frame policies that promote education. However, the counterintuitive result of the positive correlation between upper-secondary levels of adult education with the deaths from cancer warrants more investigation.

We drilled down further into the correlation between the upper-secondary education level and deaths from cancer. Figure 16 shows this correlation, along with a breakdown of the total number of records for each continent, to see if there is an explanation for the unique result.

Association between deaths from cancer and adult education level-upper secondary

Figure 16 shows a dashboard containing two graphs - a scatterplot of the correlation between deaths from cancer and education level, and a bar graph showing the breakdown of the total sample by continent. We included a breakdown by continent in order to explore variances that may clarify or explain the positive association for deaths from cancer with the upper-secondary education level. The scatterplot shows that for the European Union (EU) the points are much more scattered than for the other continents. Also, the correlation between deaths and education level for the EU is positive. The bottom bar graph depicts how the sample contains a disproportionately high number of records for the EU than for other continents. It is possible that this may have influenced the results of the correlation. The governments in the EU should investigate the reasons behind this phenomenon. Also, we defer to future research to explore this in greater detail by incorporating other socioeconomic parameters that may have to be factored into the relationship.

Association between average tertiary school life expectancy and health expenditure

We moved our focus to the trends of tertiary school life expectancy and health expenditure from 1995 to 2015 (Fig. 17 ) to check for positive associations.

Association between Average Tertiary School Life Expectancy and Health Expenditure

Figure 17 is a combination chart explaining the trends of tertiary school life expectancy and health expenditure, for all countries in the sample. The rationale is that if there is a positive association between the two, it would be worthwhile for the government to allocate more resources towards health expenditure. Both tertiary school life expectancy and health expenditure show an increase over the years from 1995 to 2015. Our additional analysis shows that they continue to increase even after 2015. Hence, governments are encouraged to increase the health expenditure in order to see gains in tertiary school life expectancy, which will have positive implications for national health. Given that the measured effects of education are large, investments in education might prove to be a cost-effective means of achieving better health.

Our results reveal how interlinked education and health can be. We show how a country can improve its health scenario by focusing on appropriate indicators of education. Countries with higher education levels are more likely to have better national health conditions. Among the adult education levels, tertiary education is the most critical indicator influencing healthcare in terms of infant mortality, life expectancy, child vaccination rates, and enrollment rates. Our results emphasize the role that education plays in the potential years of life lost, which is a measure that represents the average years a person would have lived had he/she not died prematurely. In addition to mortality rate, an economy needs to consider this indicator as a measure of health quality.

Other educational indicators that are major drivers of health include school life expectancy, particularly at the tertiary level. In order to improve the school life expectancy of the population, governments should control the number of youths ending up unemployed, dropping out of school, and without skills or training (the NEET rate). Education allows people to gain skills/abilities and knowledge on general health, enhancing their awareness of healthy behaviors and preventive care. By targeting promotions and campaigns that emphasize the importance of skills and employment, governments can reduce the NEET rates. And, by reducing the NEET rates, governments have the potential to address a broad array of vulnerabilities among youth, ranging from unemployment, early school dropouts, and labor market discouragement, which are all social issues that warrant attention in a growing economy.

We also bring to light the health disparities across countries and suggest implications for governments to target educational interventions that can reduce inequalities and improve health, at a macro level. The health effects of education are at the grass roots level - creating better overall self-awareness on personal health and making healthcare more accessible.

Scope and limitations

Our research suffers from a few limitations. For one, the number of countries is limited, and being that the data are primarily drawn from OECD, they pertain to the continent of Europe. We also considered a limited set of variables. A more extensive study can encompass a larger range of variables drawn from heterogeneous sources. With the objective of acquiring a macro perspective on the education–health association, we incorporated some dependent variables that may not traditionally be viewed as pure health parameters. For example, the variable potential years of life lost is affected by premature deaths that may be caused by non-health related factors too. Also there may be some intervening variables in the education–health relationship that need to be considered. Lastly, while our study explores associations and relationships between variables, it does not investigate causality.

Conclusions and future research

Both education and health are at the center of individual and population health and well-being. Conceptualizations of both phenomena should go beyond the individual focus to incorporate and consider the social context and structure within which the education–health relationship is embedded. Such an approach calls for a combination of interdisciplinary research, novel conceptual models, and rich data sources. As health differences are widening across the world, there is need for new directions in research and policy on health returns on education and vice versa. In developing interventions and policies, governments would do well to keep in mind the dual role played by education—as a driver of opportunity as well as a reproducer of inequality [ 36 ]. Reducing these macro-level inequalities requires interventions directed at a macro level. Researchers and policy makers have mutual responsibilities in this endeavor, with researchers investigating and communicating the insights and recommendations to policy makers, and policy makers conveying the challenges and needs of health and educational practices to researchers. Researchers can leverage national differences in the political system to study the impact of various welfare systems on the education–health association. In terms of investment in education, we make a call for governments to focus on education in the early stages of life course so as to prevent the reproduction of social inequalities and change upcoming educational trajectories; we also urge governments to make efforts to mitigate the rising dropout rate in postsecondary enrollment that often leads to detrimental health (e.g., due to stress or rising student debt). There is a need to look into the circumstances that can modify the postsecondary experience of youth so as to improve their health.

Our study offers several prospects for future research. Future research can incorporate geographic and environmental variables—such as the quality of air level or latitude—for additional analysis. Also, we can incorporate data from other sources to include more countries and more variables, especially non-European ones, so as to increase the breadth of analysis. In terms of methodology, future studies can deploy meta-regression analysis to compare the relationships between health and some macro-level socioeconomic indicators [ 13 ]. Future research should also expand beyond the individual to the social context in which education and health are situated. Such an approach will help generate findings that will inform effective educational and health policies and interventions to reduce disparities.

Availability of data and materials

The dataset analyzed during the current study is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

Fundamental Cause Theory

Human Capital Theory

Not in Employment, Education, or Training

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

Socio-economic status

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Raghupathi, V., Raghupathi, W. The influence of education on health: an empirical assessment of OECD countries for the period 1995–2015. Arch Public Health 78 , 20 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-020-00402-5

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• Education level
• Enrollment rate
• Life expectancy
• Potential years of life lost
• Infant mortality
• Deaths from cancer

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Why is Health Education Important?

Health education programs help empower individuals and communities to live healthier lives by improving their physical, mental, emotional and social health by increasing their knowledge and influencing their attitudes about caring for their well-being.

Health education focuses on prevention, increasing health equity, and decreasing negative health outcomes such as availability and accessibility of health services, benefiting all stakeholders.

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Blending knowledge from the biological, environmental, psychological, and medical sciences, health education professionals implement, develop, and evaluate programs designed to keep people healthy in their daily lives. Health Educators are trained to assess health needs and plan, develop, and implement health programs as well as communication strategies across environments.

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Whatever the context, to have an effective health education program it must be based on theory and evidence and tailored to the target population based on specific risk factors, available resources, and cultural sensibilities.

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Importance of Health: Promoting Health Education amid the Pandemic

• November 22, 2021

Childhope Philippines conducted a webinar last September 21, 2021 to raise awareness on the importance of health and promote facts to bring guidance to parents, social workers, educators, and other sectors of the society to keep children healthy and learning .

Health education is important in building a better society. This is because healthy citizens work and interact with others better. This is especially important in this time of pandemic. Hence, there are programs from different organizations that focus on giving people the tips and facts they need to know to protect themselves from the virus.

Importance of Health toward Overall Wellness

Knowing the importance of health should be manifested in a change of lifestyle. This includes healthy routines such as exercising, meditating, eating right, and having habits that promote overall wellness—both physical and mental.

1. Achieve Better Immunity

Staying active helps you stay in shape, manage your weight, boost immunity, and increase your energy level. If you want to stay healthy, you need to make an effort to eat healthy food and exercise regularly. On that note, you should get at least 150 minutes of moderate cardio workout .

2. Improve Mood

Having a healthy lifestyle fuels you to be energetic. This boosts your mood and confidence. Plus, when you’re feeling healthy, you can have a better outlook in life because you have the strength to face and overcome stress.

3. Boost Energy

As mentioned earlier, when you take care of your overall health, it will boost your energy. You can achieve this by having a balanced diet, doing regular exercise, and sleeping right.

4. Prevent Diseases

It’s no secret that if we don’t want to get sick, we need to make an effort to take care of our overall health. Thus, if you want to prevent diseases such as high cholesterol, diabetes, heart diseases and chronic pain, a healthy lifestyle is the key.

5. Live Longer Life

People want to have a longer healthy life. Hence, it’s important to put emphasis on living a lifestyle with a proper diet and healthy routine. You can achieve longevity if you decide to live healthy by adopting new healthy habits. Joining a fitness club and nutrition classes are some ways to form this kind of habit.

Education for Health and Well-Being

Promoting health and well-being can be achieved if people are educated about its importance and impact to society.

According to the Global Education Monitoring Report of UNESCO, when mothers know the importance of health, children’s nutrition and vaccination rates increase while the number of maternal mortality, child deaths, and HIV decreases. This data encourages non-profit organizations and other sectors to organize projects that promote awareness on the importance of health.

What is Health Education

In order to have a healthy society, organizations should focus on health education. This is because it gives citizens the idea of what it’s like to be healthy. In addition, it’s a good strategy to inform them of the risks they can experience if they don’t take health seriously.

Here’s a quick rundown of platforms you can use to promote health education.

• Social media

Ways to Promote Health Education

• Plan learning activities for street children and mothers in the community
• Provide information on ways to have healthy habits
• Do a needs analysis in order to identify the resources the community needs
• Implement programs that raise awareness on the importance of health education
• Organize lectures and seminars to keep the citizens educated on facts about health

The Importance of Health Education

As previously stated, health education promotes a healthy lifestyle and raises awareness about the importance of health. This can be done when professionals take part in educating people on what they can do to have a healthier life.

Health education doesn’t just happen in schools. There are many groups that offer free seminars to rural areas aiming to reach communities so that they can benefit from being informed about health. Moreover, there are professionals, especially educators, who take time to study the health needs of the community to give proper intervention.

When citizens are well-informed about the importance of health education, they could have a healthier life. This results in fewer patients in the hospital. Public health centers and hospitals will not be too crowded. There won’t be scarcity of free medicines. Additionally, people will have the ability to work, which is a big help to the economy.

Nurturing Knowledge: Street Educators, Social Worker Participates COVID-19 Webinar

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the lives of children and families in different countries. Because of this, Childhope Philippines is making an effort to bring awareness and promote facts over fear. They do this by guiding parents, social workers, and educators with the right information and resources and working closely with frontline workers.

In the hopes of helping street children and all the members of the society, Childhope Philippines conducted a webinar, COVID-19 Updates: Aligning our Basic Knowledge on COVID-19 . This was spearheaded by Dr. Carpio, the project coordinator of KliniKalye Mobile Health Clinic .

The webinar discusses a conceptual landscape on which attendees construct a valid understanding of COVID-19 and its preventive measures. Its goal is to educate and update the staff, educators, and social workers on the latest news and resources about COVID-19 and tips to fight against the virus. On the other hand, Childhope Philippines also puts emphasis on the importance of getting the vaccine in this time of pandemic.

As one of the advocates of health education, Childhope Philippines tackles the roles of the vaccine in preventing the spread of the virus. This helped the attendees realize it builds a safer environment for adults and children.

Furthermore, they ensure the safety of their staff by getting them vaccinated. This is also for the well-being of the street children and the people they work with. “We must do everything we can to safeguard the future of the next generation, which starts with safeguarding those responsible for their development and wellbeing.” Dr. Carpio, Executive Director of Childhope Philippines.

Partner with Us and Together Let’s Raise Awareness on the Importance of Health

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected, not only Filipinos, but also people across the globe. That’s why as a movement, it’s one of our missions to help Filipinos, especially the street children, to have a better life. We do this by providing projects for the youth such as KalyEskwela, KliniKalye, Street Youth Empowerment Project , and Kalyenderia Mobile Soup Kitchen .

We want you to take part in this goal and join our cause. How? There are two ways you can help: First, you can sign up and be one of our volunteers . Second, you can show your support by pledging a donation . Contact us today to learn more about our advocacies.

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Why Study Public Health?

Why Is Public Health Important?

The field of public health plays a critical role in the promotion of health, prevention of disease, and empowerment of individuals to manage illness and disabilities. Every scientific finding, awareness campaign, and new policy has the potential to positively impact the lives of millions of people around the world . A unique blend of research, inquiry, and action, public health brings together people from across disciplines, backgrounds, and perspectives to discover the root causes of health problems and develop long-lasting, innovative solutions that improve everyone’s quality of life.

While the field of medicine traditionally aims to treat diseases and injuries, public health aims to proactively prevent them and keep populations healthy. In doing so, public health practitioners discover and share health interventions that ensure health and equity now and far into the future.    

What Will You Learn in a Public Health Degree Program?

In a public health degree program, you’ll learn how the conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, grow, and play affect their health outcomes. You’ll learn how public health professionals collaborate to uncover these conditions and build interventions that address them. Depending on your interests and passions, your coursework in Michigan Public Health’s six departments can explore the science behind the spread and control of disease, environmental impacts on human health, how policy and data can transform the health of populations, and the ways diet and nutrition shape our lives and our health. 

What Can You Do with a Public Health Degree?

A public health degree gives you the professional foundation and transferable skills you need to understand and work on a wide range of issues in a variety of industries and fields, including issues you see in the news every day, from COVID-19 to health care policy, firearm safety, and racism. Those with public health degrees keep communities healthy, protect workers, prevent and address pandemics, pursue social justice, drive public policy, spearhead disaster relief, ensure access to healthcare, and so much more. Public health professionals are at the forefront of research, practice, and service in nonprofits, community organizations, higher education, government, private industry, and health care. Discover jobs and careers in public health by learning more about our alumni .

Why Michigan Public Health?

As the #5 ranked school of public health in the US, we educate and train tomorrow’s public health leaders. Michigan Public Health students prepare to pursue positive, transformative change through engaging learning opportunities with top faculty, access to innovative laboratory and field settings, and community-based and entrepreneurial training. Our graduates join a community of 18,000 alumni and enter the world prepared to meet the challenges of a shifting landscape and anticipate where new challenges might arise.

What our students say about why they chose public health 

Online master's program allows California student to continue education 'on my terms'

Aliya Patel

Physical therapist aims for healing on a larger scale with online MPH

Jean Rinkowski

'Ready to do her part' in shaping a future with environmental health policy

Kate O’Brien, MPH ’24

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• Why Study Public Health?

August 22, 2024 | by Clara LoCricchio

Five compelling reasons to p u rsue a career in po pu lation health

Public health is a field that empowers individuals to make a significant impact on community well-being. It brings together professionals from diverse backgrounds to protect and improve population health, addressing challenges from disease prevention to environmental safety. By studying public health, you gain the tools to tackle some of society's most pressing health issues.  

The benefits of pursuing a public health degree are both personal and far-reaching. This field offers the unique opportunity to blend scientific rigor with social impact, allowing you to contribute to tangible improvements in people's lives.  

So, what is a public health degree? At Belmont University , the public health program combines comprehensive academics with practical experience. Students are prepared to address complex health challenges and promote wellness on local and global scales. Whether you're passionate about disease prevention, health equity or crisis response, public health offers a path to a rewarding career.  

Let’s break down five reasons why you should study public health.

1. Improve Po pu lation Health 

Public health professionals are at the forefront of efforts to enhance the overall health of communities. By studying public health under expert faculty , you'll learn to identify health trends, develop prevention strategies and implement programs that can positively impact thousands of lives.  

From promoting vaccination campaigns to designing interventions for chronic diseases, public health equips you with the knowledge to address wide-ranging health issues. This field allows you to work on a scale that extends beyond individual patient care, potentially improving health outcomes for entire populations.   

2. Address Health Disparities 

Working in public health opens your eyes to the stark realities of health inequities and equips you with tools to combat them. You'll learn to identify and analyze the social, economic and environmental factors that contribute to health disparities among different populations.  

Public health education emphasizes the importance of creating equitable health systems and developing targeted interventions for underserved communities. By pursuing this field, you'll be prepared to advocate for policies and programs that aim to close the gap in health outcomes, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to lead a healthy life regardless of their background or circumstances.   

3. Respond to Global Health Challenges 

In our interconnected world, health issues don't stop at borders. Studying and working in public health prepares you to tackle global health challenges head-on. You'll gain insights into international health systems, emerging diseases and the complex factors that influence health on a global scale.  

From responding to pandemics to addressing climate change-related health risks, public health professionals play a crucial role in crafting and implementing solutions to worldwide health issues. This field offers the exciting opportunity to collaborate with experts from around the globe, potentially leading to work that impacts millions of lives across continents.   

4. Influence Health Policy

Public health professionals play a vital role in shaping the policies that govern our health systems and practices. By studying public health, you'll learn how to translate scientific evidence into actionable policies that can improve community health outcomes.  

You'll gain skills in data analysis, program evaluation and policy development that are crucial for informing decision-makers at local, national and international levels. Whether it's advocating for tobacco control measures, pushing for better access to health care or developing guidelines for emergency preparedness, your work in public health can lead to lasting, systemic changes that benefit entire populations.  

5. Diverse Career Opportunities

One of the most exciting aspects of studying public health is the wide array of career paths available to graduates. The field offers opportunities in various sectors, including government agencies, non-profit organizations, healthcare systems, research institutions and private companies.  

You might find yourself working as an epidemiologist tracking disease outbreaks, a health educator developing community wellness programs or a policy analyst shaping healthcare legislation. Other potential roles include:  

• Environmental health specialist  
• Biostatistician  
• Global health consultant  
• Health care administrator  
• Public health researcher  
• Occupational health and safety expert  
• Disaster management specialist  

This diversity allows you to find a niche that aligns with your interests and strengths, while always working towards the common goal of improving public health.   

Common Questions About Studying Public Health  

There’s a lot to think about when choosing a major. Hopefully, these questions and answers will help you gain a better understanding of what studying public health entails and guide you in making an informed decision about your future academic and career path.  

Why Is Public Health Important?  

Public health is important because it protects and improves the health of entire populations. Unlike individual health care, public health focuses on preventing diseases and injuries before they occur, promoting healthy lifestyles and ensuring equitable access to health services. It addresses the broader factors that influence health, such as environment, education and social conditions.  

By tackling these wide-ranging issues, public health initiatives can lead to longer life expectancies, reduced health care costs and improved quality of life for communities worldwide.  

What Will You Learn in a Public Health Program?  

In a public health program, you'll learn a diverse set of skills crucial for addressing complex health challenges. Core coursework typically includes epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy and environmental health. You'll gain proficiency in data analysis, research methods and health program planning and evaluation.  

Many programs also cover topics like global health, health communication and social determinants of health. Practical experiences, such as internships or fieldwork, often complement classroom learning, providing hands-on opportunities to apply your knowledge in real-world settings.  

Why Should You Choose Public Health at Belmont?  

Choosing to study public health at Belmont's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences offers a unique blend of rigorous academics and practical experience in a supportive environment. The program emphasizes interprofessional approaches , preparing students to tackle complex health issues from multiple angles.  

Belmont's location in Nashville provides access to diverse health organizations and community partners, enriching learning opportunities and small class sizes ensure personalized attention from experienced faculty who are active in the field. The program also integrates Belmont's commitment to service, encouraging students to make a tangible impact on community health even during their studies.  

Shape a Healthier Future with a Public Health Degree  

By choosing to study public health, you're not just selecting a career path – you're committing to improving lives and creating positive change on a large scale. If you're ready to take on this challenge and join a field that combines science, policy and social impact, explore Belmont University's public health program .  

Learn more about public health at Belmont's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

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Health and Academics

Healthy students are better learners, and academic achievement bears a lifetime of benefits for health. Recent research illustrates that higher academic grades are associated with more positive individual and cumulative health behaviors among high school students. However, youth risk behaviors, such as physical inactivity, unhealthy dietary behaviors, tobacco use, alcohol use, and other drug use are consistently linked to poor grades and test scores and lower educational attainment. 1

School programs can use the  Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model to promote positive health behaviors and lessen negative health behaviors. Looking beyond the classroom and into community organizations and other public or private partnerships can also reduce inequalities in educational achievement and health outcomes. 9

School programs that account for the individual, family, school, and community can positively influence both student health behaviors and learning. 2,3 Evidence-based, effectively coordinated, and strategically planned school health programs and services are also necessary for closing the academic achievement gap and promoting health equity. 4, 10

Research shows a strong connection between healthy behaviors and academic achievement (e.g., grades, standardized tests, graduation rates, attendance). 5-10 Data from the 2019 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)  illustrate the prevalence of health behaviors among children and adolescents that can have a significant impact on learning and a lifetime of healthier living.

2019 YRBS Fact Sheets

• Dietary Behaviors and Academic Grades
• Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors and Academic Grades
• Tobacco Product Use Behaviors and Academic Grades
• Alcohol Use Behaviors and Academic Grades
• Other Behaviors and Conditions and Academic Grades

Explore the 2019 YRBS questions, tables, and graphs here .

• Individual and Collective Positive Health Behaviors and Academic Achievement Among U.S. High School Students, Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2017
• CDC MMWR: Health-related behaviors and academic achievement among high school students, United States, 2015 [PDF – 180 KB]
• Healthy Youth: Health and Academics Fact Sheets
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Promoting Positive Adolescent Health Behaviors and Outcomes: Thriving in the 21st Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 2020. https://doi.org/10.17226/25552.
• Basch CE. Healthier students are better learners: High-quality, strategically planned, and effectively coordinated school health programs must be a fundamental mission of schools to help close the achievement gap.  J Sch Health . 2011;81(10):650–662. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00640.x.
• Michael SL, Merlo CL, Basch CE, Wentzel KR, Wechsler H. Critical connections: Health and academics.  J Sch Health . 2015;85(11):740–758. doi:10.1111/josh.12309.
• Bradley BJ, Greene AC. Do health and education agencies in the United States share responsibility for academic achievement and health? A review of 25 years of evidence about the relationship of adolescents’ academic achievement and health behaviors.  J Adolesc Heal . 2017;52(5):523–532. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.01.008.
• Busch V, Loyen A, Lodder M, Schrijvers AJP, van Yperen TA, de Leeuw JRJ. The effects of adolescent health-related behavior on academic performance: A systematic review of the longitudinal evidence.  Rev Educ Res . 2014;84(2):245–274. doi:10.3102/0034654313518441.
• Basch CE. Healthier students are better learners: A missing link in school reforms to close the achievement gap.  J Sch Health . 2011;81(10):593–598. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00632.x.
• Rasberry CN, Tiu GF, Kann L, McManus T, et al. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Health-related behaviors and academic achievement among high school students, United States, 2015.  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report  ( MMWR )  Full Report . 2017.
• Hawkins GT, Lee SH, Michael SL, Merlo CL, Lee SM, King BA, Rasberry C, Underwood JM. Individual and collective positive health behaviors and academic achievement among U.S. high school students, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2017. Am J Health Promot. 2021; 3: 1-11.
• Liburd LC. After the Bell Rings: Looking Beyond the Classroom to Reduce Inequalities in Educational Achievement and Health Outcomes. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2019;25(6):581-583. doi:10.1097/PHH.0000000000000978
• Hahn RA, Truman BI. Education Improves Public Health and Promotes Health Equity. Int J Health Serv. 2015;45(4):657-678. doi:10.1177/0020731415585986

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• v.14(7); 2022 Jul

Empowering Patients: Promoting Patient Education and Health Literacy

Pradnya brijmohan bhattad.

1 Cardiovascular Medicine, Saint Vincent Hospital, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, USA

Luigi Pacifico

Patients are generally keen to understand and obtain more information about their medical conditions. There exists a need to develop updated and thorough yet concise patient education handouts and to encourage healthcare providers (HCPs) to use uniform patient education methods.

A thorough review of literature on patient education material was performed prior to starting the study. A comparison with different resources regarding the appropriateness of patient education was done. Educating HCPs to effectively use patient educational materials incorporated into the electronic health record system, including electronic methods, such as the use of a patient portal, to help educate patients. 

Strategies were formulated to reduce the amount of processing and attending time required for fetching appropriate materials and lead to fast, efficient, and effective patient education. To improve the physical and psychosocial wellbeing of a patient, personalized patient education handouts, in addition to verbal education by the HCPs, augment the betterment of patient care via shared decision making and by improving patient satisfaction and health literacy.

Introduction

Patients are often eager to understand and know more about their medical conditions and health situation, and educating them with the most relevant, current, consistent, and updated information helps patients and their families significantly in the medical care and decision-making process [ 1 ]. 

Patients need formal education on the disease condition; they need to know their ailment, understand their symptoms, be educated on the diagnostics, appropriate medication use, and should be taught when to call for help. Several patient education handouts for various conditions are available, and there exists a need to assess which one is better suited for a particular disease/condition encountered and provides concise information. Patient education materials help educate the patients on their health conditions, improves their health literacy, and enhances and promotes informed decision-making based on the most current and updated medical and clinical evidence as well as patient preference [ 2 ].

The aim of this study was to develop updated patient education handouts and materials in addition to verbal counseling of the patients to help them understand the disease condition, diagnostic studies, proper advice on medications, and when to call for help. And to encourage healthcare providers (HCPs) to use uniform patient education materials.

The objectives of this study are 1) the implementation of quality improvement techniques of Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles on patient education in clinical settings; 2) to enhance the delivery of patient education and create awareness amongst the HCPs regarding the importance of patient education and improved health literacy; 3) to verify if patient education handouts have the minimum necessary information that patient should know; 4) to compare patient education handouts from databases integrated in the electronic health record (EHR) with standard patient education database websites like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, and MedlinePlus® site to make sure that they have the minimum necessary information; and 5) to educate and encourage HCPs on the use of appropriate patient education articles in the EHR and utilize an electronic patient portal for patient education, help transition the patient education to an electronic form, and increase efficacy and consistent patient education.

Materials and methods

A comprehensive review of the patient education materials on the most common medical ailments in various clinical settings was performed. We compared the existing patient education database integrated in the EHR with the standard resources such as the CDC, MedlinePlus via retrospective chart study format to ensure the minimum necessary information is available. 

A comparison of existing educational material was completed by analyzing other patient education materials from resources such as UpToDate (the basics/beyond the basics), MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine of NIH, CDC, and the US Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that effective, most updated, current, and evidence-based information is provided to the patients from the educational materials.

Search words were incorporated to help search for the educational articles in the existing EHR by the title of the article. Educational materials studied were relevant to the common medical ailments in various clinical settings. The patient handouts were made available in such a way that these should be able to be sent either through an electronic patient portal or printed out.

HCPs were educated in a session with pre- and post-lecture survey qualitative and quantitative questionnaires. The impact of these interventions was further assessed by pre- and post-intervention surveys after educating the HCPs.

Uniform updated patient education handouts were created after comparing them with standard resources. A pre-test survey questionnaire was obtained to discuss with HCPs regarding the current knowledge and practices of the usage of patient education handouts and the understanding of EHR to utilize uniform and standardized patient education handouts. After educating the HCPs, their knowledge regarding the use of EHR to effectively use patient education handouts was tested in a post-test survey questionnaire. After completion of the pre and post-test survey questionnaire by HCPs, analysis of the data performed (Figures ​ (Figures1 1 - ​ -20 20 ).

HCPs - healthcare providers

"Do you feel that attending and processing times required for fetching appropriate educational articles will be reduced if standard materials are outlined?"

“Do you think that efficient patient education is effective in creating and improving adherence to treatment, medication compliance, and for improving overall patient health?”

Quality improvement (QI), problem-solving, and gap analysis

QI techniques, including PDSA cycles, to improve patient education implemented in various clinical settings [ 1 ].

Reasons for Action

There is a need for updated and uniform patient education materials in addition to verbal counseling of the patient to help them understand the disease condition, diagnostic studies, proper advice on medications, and when to call for help, thereby enhancing health literacy. There exists several patient education materials for various ailments, and the need to assess which one is better suited for a disease condition and contains concise information.

Initial State

We reviewed the available patient education material from the patient education database integrated in the EHR, and compared it with current standardized resources such as MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine of NIH, CDC, and the US Department of Health and Human Services. A thorough review of literature on patient education material was performed prior to starting the study.

We compared more than one source regarding the appropriateness of patient education, most specifically, how to use the medications and when to call for help. The quality of educational materials regarding disease education, diagnostics education, education on medication use, and education on when to call for help was assessed. The resources described above were utilized for comparison.

Gap Analysis

A graph of the gap analysis is displayed in Figure ​ Figure21 21 below.

Solution Approach

It was noticed that the educational materials were available only in printed format. Enrolling patients on the electronic patient portal helps send educational materials to the patient as a soft copy in a faster and more efficient electronic format. 

Higher attending and processing time is required for fetching appropriate materials due to the unavailability of exact materials and using non-updated educational materials. Therefore, creating an index of educational articles on commonly encountered medical situations and ensuring that these articles are current and updated might make the process more efficient. 

There is a very limited time availability to impart specific educational elements with the limited appointment times. Appropriately detailed educational materials can be sent to the patient via a patient portal even after the patient encounter has ended. For patients with limited technology/computer use, educational materials can be mailed if they're missed during the encounter. 

Inadequate educational methods were utilized; thus, incorporating educational articles from resources other than the databases in the existing EHR, and using the index of educational articles on commonly encountered medical situations were applied.

Inefficient usage of the operational capacity of EHR for patient education, using database integrated in the EHR, and lack of training were identified. As a result, HCPs were trained on using educational materials for their patients in an efficient manner, and patient education was prioritized.

Rapid Experiment: Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle

Plan: Plan to use appropriate patient education material from several sources made available in the index of the educational articles.

Do: Counsel and verbally educate the patients, along with providing educational materials. Obtain a verbal read-back from the patients about how to use medications and when to call for help.

Study: Use the teach-back method to make patients explain back the information provided in their own words to see if they understood the disease, diagnostics, medication use, and when to call for help to improve health literacy.

Act: If a patient has questions, address them appropriately and if need be, set up a follow-up appointment. 

Actions Taken

An index of educational materials relevant to the common medical ailments in various clinical settings was created. This index of educational materials was to guide HCPs in choosing appropriate and relevant articles in an efficient, quick, and timely manner for patients in various clinical settings. Effective use of patient educational materials in the database incorporated into the EHR, including electronic methods such as the use of the patient portal to help educate patients, was promoted. Alternate resources other than those from the database in the existing EHR were utilized. Educational materials in printed format were made available for patients with limited technology access. The amount of time required for fetching appropriate materials was reduced by creating and referencing to an index for commonly encountered medical situations.

Efficient and faster patient education was imparted with reduced processing and attending time required. Prioritized health education to improve health literacy. Efficient usage of operational capacity of database integrated in the EHR was undertaken to improve health literacy. HCPs were trained to use patient education materials efficiently. 

What Helped

Fast, efficient, and effective patient education helped patients and their families significantly in medical care and shared decision-making based on the most current and updated clinical evidence and patient preference. Creating an index of educational materials relevant to the medical conditions commonly encountered thereby reduced the amount of processing and attending time required for fetching appropriate materials. Effectively using patient educational materials in the database incorporated into the EHR, including electronic methods such as the use of a patient portal to help educate patients, using soft copy (electronic-copy) reduced requirement of printed materials. Correction of misconceptions that patients may have helped improve health literacy. 

What Went Well

Helping engage, encourage, and empower the patients in participating in their own health care and treatment decisions. Enhanced patient satisfaction and better outcomes (for instance, educating a patient on osteopenia encouraged them to continue/start the vitamin D supplementation, participate in regular exercise, healthy diet preferences, and health promotion). 

What Hindered

High HCP turnover rate with changing schedules hindered consistent use of patient education materials. Insufficient number of HCPs trained for patient education.

What Could Improve

Incorporating educational materials in the video format for patients who do not wish to read or talk about their health situations. Enhanced training of all the HCPs for effective and efficient use of patient education resources to allow consistency in effective patient education.

Personalized patient education engages, encourages, and empowers patients in participating in their own health care and treatment decisions and leading to better outcomes, decreased need for excess diagnostic testing, and enhanced patient satisfaction [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. This needs motivation on the part of the resident doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physicians, and the allied staff. 

The Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine (ACTPCMD) recommends that Health Resources & Services Administration’s (HRSA) Title VII, Part C, Section 747 and 748 education and training programs should prepare students, faculty, and practitioners to involve patients and caretakers in shared medical decision-making which can happen well with better patient education process [ 6 ].

We as HCPs should cultivate good habits amongst ourselves to ensure patients know about their condition and treatment well. This will help increase medication and treatment compliance amongst patients and enhance the physician-patient relationship to a higher level.

Conclusions

To improve the physical and psychosocial well-being of a patient, personalized patient education materials, in addition to verbal education by the HCPs, augment the betterment of patient care via shared decision making and by improving patient satisfaction. There is a need to reiterate that HCPs understand patients' concerns and provide effective patient education and counseling for effective health care delivery.

The content published in Cureus is the result of clinical experience and/or research by independent individuals or organizations. Cureus is not responsible for the scientific accuracy or reliability of data or conclusions published herein. All content published within Cureus is intended only for educational, research and reference purposes. Additionally, articles published within Cureus should not be deemed a suitable substitute for the advice of a qualified health care professional. Do not disregard or avoid professional medical advice due to content published within Cureus.

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Human Ethics

Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study

Animal Ethics

Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue.

Is Arizona really one of the worst states to live in? Why this study says it is

Arizona landed among the 10 worst states to live in , according to a recent WalletHub study , largely underperforming in terms of education and health.

The study evaluated all 50 states using 51 key indicators of livability, from housing costs and income growth to education quality and hospital standards. These indicators were then categorized into five main areas: affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety.

Each state received a ranking in these categories, leading to an overall score that determined the best and worst places to call home in the U.S.

"When deciding on a place to move, you should first consider financial factors like the cost of living, housing prices and job availability," said WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe. "You should also consider a wide variety of other factors, such as how where you live will impact your health and safety and whether you will have adequate access to activities that you enjoy. If you have children, a robust education system is also key.”

Best places to live? These 5 Arizona cities made a list of top spots

Here's a roundup of WalletHub's best and worst states to live in, as well as why Arizona obtained a poor ranking in the list.

Best 10 states to live in

These are the 10 best states for living in 2024, according to WalletHub.

• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• Pennsylvania

Worst 10 states to live in

These are the 10 worst states for living in 2024, according to WalletHub.

• Mississippi
• South Carolina

Why is Arizona considered one of the worst states to live in?

Arizona obtained medium to low rankings in all categories for a total score of 48.06, only about 7 points above the lowest-ranking state of Louisiana.

The state performed especially poorly in the education and health category, obtaining the 44th spot on the category ranking. Arizona also ranked 40th for safety, 23rd for quality of life, and 22nd for affordability.

The state performed best in the economy category, ranking in the 21st spot.

Arizona hasn't shined in recent rankings evaluating the state's quality of life . In a recent study by immigration law firm Manifest Law, Arizona ranked as the seventh worst state in the U.S. to move to, particularly because of high crime and arrest rates.

Manifest Law ranked the state in the bottom half for five out of six study categories: safety and infrastructure, economy, education, and housing availability and costs. The category where the state performed best was in the living costs, ranking right in the middle at No. 25.