NEWS LEDGE:Learning for Life. Life Expectancy Linked to Higher Education

Career College Central Summary:

Want to make it to your golden years? It’s time to crack open a book and get after it. A joint study between three American universities is correlating a link between higher education and life expectancy. Living longer? Sign me up.
The research pedigree is undoubtedly impressive. I know the headline sounds like the for-profit colleges have turned desperate, but the team combined researchers from the University of Colorado, New York University and the University of North Carolina.
What’s the takeaway? The teams found that people going back to complete their high school equivalency could avert the same amount of deaths as every smoker suddenly quitting.
It’s an attention grabber for sure. Published in PLOS One, researchers explained that people who attain higher education – high school or a college degree – have lower mortality rates thanks to associated factors.
The higher your education, the higher income status, social status, psychological well-being, healthier behaviors and enhanced cognitive development.
Virginia Chang, a lead author, and associate professor of public health at NYU, explained the results in a statement.
“In public health policy, we often focus on changing health behaviors such as diet, smoking and drinking. Education — which is a more fundamental, upstream driver of health behaviors and disparities — should also be a key element of U.S. health policy.”

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