Dube writes on February 7, 2018 a compelling article on the Conversation.
"The interconnection between education and health is well established.
Take, for example, smoking. Smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S. The highest percent of smoking is seen among persons with less than a high school or General Educational Development (GED) high school equivalency diploma, and the lowest is among persons with a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Trends in efforts to quit smoking also vary by educational level. Adults with a GED certificate, adults with no high school diploma, and adults with a high school diploma historically have had the lowest rates of quitting smoking compared to adults overall.
But these data document the relationship when it is too late: Adults don’t drop out of school, children do.
The field of public health recognizes education is a social determinant of health and an indicator of well-being. National efforts are currently focused on promoting language and literacy, increasing high school completion and increasing college enrollment. It is critical to ensure that children have positive learning experiences while they are still young so that they can achieve educational success. This is one of the best ways to ensure that they can live healthier lives as adults.
Other researchers and I have contributed to widening body of research that shows how these experiences harm over the lifespan and across generations. Abuse, neglect and related stressors contribute to mental illness, substance use, and a host of other negative social and behavioral outcomes decades later in life.
Early childhood development
A human baby’s brain is not fully developed at birth. Rapid brain development occurs in the first few years of life and then steadies into childhood and adolescence. The biodevelopmental impact of exposure to severe forms of stress and trauma is not immediately visible. But abuse, neglect, poverty and related stressful exposures can put children at risk for problems with healthy cognitive, social and emotional development, which can interfere with learning. Thus, research has shown that these adverse childhood experiences not only contribute to health outcomes, but there appears to be a link with adult educational attainment...."
Read the full article and see compelling charts here:
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