A Yale University research published in the American Journal of Public Health has stated that individuals who complete high school education are likely to live longer than vice-versa.
According to the research, non-completion of high school education is associated with several risk factors that can lead to an untimely death, such as smoking and obesity, and risk factors for HIV/AIDS.
The research led by Dr Brita Roy of the Yale School of Medicine, compared data from about 5,114 black and white Americans in four US cities recruited for a study about 30 years ago. Of that group, 395 had died.
Namely, the four cities are Birmingham, Alabama; Chicago, Minneapolis, and Oakland, California.
In addition to collecting health information, the researchers asked questions about whether the participants had trouble paying for basic needs.
Missing high school education cut life expectancy by 1.4 years
Dr Brita Roy’s study revealed that each reduction in high school education level cut life expectancy by 1.4 years.
She explained completing high school education not only gives students a better shot at a well-paying job, but it also reduces the risk of early death.
The study, however, added that there’s a long list of factors, also responsible for how many years a person lives, including where they live, their ethnicity, and employment opportunities.
Although, the team of researchers said that race and money did not prove to be indicators of life expectancy.
Racial differences in life expectancy
The research also revealed racial disparities in rates and causes of death. Notably, about 9 percent of black study participants died at an early age compared with 6 percent of white participants.
Black men were also more likely to die by homicide and white men from AIDS, the findings showed. Heart disease and cancer were the most common causes of death overall, according to the report.
Rates of early death by education level also varied. About 13 percent of those with a high school education or less died early, compared with 5 percent of college graduates.
Additionally, when the researchers controlled for factors that affected longevity like age, sex, and socioeconomic status and compared blacks and whites with similar levels of education, the disparity almost wholly disappeared.
When looking at race and education together, rates of early death among blacks and whites were nearly equal.
Dr Roy conclusively said:
The takeaway here is positive,” we can’t and wouldn’t want to change the race. But we can change systems and policies to promote educational equity.
