Does education induce healthy lifestyle?

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Understanding the causal relationship between education and health behaviors is crucial for public health policy.
• Previous studies often face challenges in establishing causality due to confounding factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal effect of education on multiple health behaviors.
• To explore the correlations among unobserved determinants of these behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized instrumental variables (high school availability, birth order) to address endogeneity of education.
• Employed a quadvariate probit model with simulated Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) to account for correlated health behaviors.
• Analyzed data from Korean men.

Main Results:

• Increased education causally leads to higher rates of regular exercise.
• Higher education is associated with increased likelihood of receiving regular health checkups.
• Education demonstrated a negligible impact on smoking and drinking behaviors.

Conclusions:

• Education is a significant determinant for specific healthy lifestyle choices like exercise and preventive care.
• The findings highlight the importance of considering the interplay of unobserved factors in health behavior models.
• Policy implications suggest focusing educational initiatives on promoting exercise and checkups, while addressing smoking and drinking through other means.