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Understanding differences in health behaviors by education
David M Cutler1, Adriana Lleras-Muney
1Department of Economics, Harvard University and NBER, 1875 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States.
Journal of Health Economics
|December 8, 2009
Summary
Education significantly impacts health behaviors. Income, cognitive ability, and social networks explain a large portion of this education gradient, while future-oriented factors and personality traits do not.
Area of Science:
- Socioeconomic Determinants of Health
- Behavioral Economics
- Public Health
Background:
- The relationship between education and health behaviors, termed the education gradient, is well-documented.
- Understanding the underlying factors driving this gradient is crucial for public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and quantify the contributions of various factors to the education gradient in health behaviors.
- To identify which socioeconomic, cognitive, and psychological factors are most influential.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of diverse datasets from two countries.
- Statistical examination of the association between education level and health behaviors.
- Assessment of explanatory power of income, health insurance, family background, cognitive ability, social networks, discounting, risk aversion, and personality factors.
Main Results:
- Income, health insurance, and family background collectively explain approximately 30% of the education gradient.
- Knowledge and cognitive ability measures account for an additional 30% of the gradient.
- Social networks contribute approximately 10% to explaining the education gradient.
- Proxies for future orientation (discounting, risk aversion) and personality factors (sense of control) did not explain any part of the education gradient.
Conclusions:
- Socioeconomic status, cognitive abilities, and social networks are significant mediators of the education gradient in health behaviors.
- Factors related to future orientation and personality appear to play a minimal role in this relationship.
- These findings highlight key areas for targeted public health strategies to reduce health disparities.
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