Full Citation
Title: The Benefits of Educational Attainment for U.S. Adult Mortality: Are they Contingent on the Broader Environment?
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2016
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Abstract: The growing recognition that educational attainment is one of the strongest preventive factors for adult health and longevity has fueled an interest in educational attainment as a population health strategy. However, less attention has been given to identifying social, economic, and behavioral resources that may moderate the health and longevity benefits of education. We draw on theories of resource substitution and multiplication to examine the extent to which the educationmortality association is contingent on other resources (marriage, employment, income, healthy lifestyles). We use data on adults aged 3084 in the 19972006 National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality File and estimate discrete-time event history models stratified by gender (N = 146,558; deaths = 10,399). We find that the mortality benefits of education are generally largest for adultsespecially womenwho have other resources such as employment and marriage, supporting the theory of resource multiplication. Nonetheless, our results also imply that other resources can potentially attenuate the mortality disadvantages (advantages) associated with low (high) levels of education. The findings suggest that efforts to improve population health and longevity by raising education levels should be augmented with strategies that assure widespread access to social, economic, and behavioral resources.
Url: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11113-015-9377-6
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Authors: Karas Monte, Jennifer; Barnes, Kaitlyn
Periodical (Full): Population Research and Policy Review
Issue: 1
Volume: 35
Pages: 73-100
Data Collections: IPUMS Health Surveys - NHIS
Topics: Education, Fertility and Mortality
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