Educated but Unhealthy? Examining Minorities' Diminished Returns
Shervin Assari1,2,3, Hossein Zare4,5
1Marginalized-Related Diminished Returns (MDRs) Research Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Global Journal of Epidemiology and Infectious Disease
|November 28, 2024
Summary
Educational attainment improves self-rated health, but benefits are smaller for Black and Latino adults. This study supports the Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory, highlighting disparities in health gains from education.
Area of Science:
- Social Epidemiology
- Health Disparities Research
- Sociology of Health
Background:
- Educational attainment is linked to better self-rated health.
- These benefits are often less pronounced for racial and ethnic minority groups.
- The Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory explains these weaker protective effects for marginalized populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate racial and ethnic disparities in the association between education and self-rated health in U.S. adults.
- To understand the reduced health benefits of schooling for Black and Latino individuals.
- To examine the applicability of the MDRs theory in the context of educational attainment and self-rated health.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of U.S. adults (N=6,785) from the Understanding America Study (2014).
- Examined the association between years of schooling (independent variable) and self-rated health (outcome).
- Controlled for sociodemographic factors and conducted stratified analyses by race/ethnicity using linear regression models.
Main Results:
- Years of schooling positively correlated with better self-rated health overall.
- The positive association was weaker for Black and Latino individuals compared to White individuals.
- After adjustments, Black and Latino adults showed worse self-rated health per additional year of schooling, supporting MDRs.
Conclusions:
- Higher education offers less protection for self-rated health among Black and Latino individuals.
- Structural barriers and social inequalities likely cause these diminished returns.
- Policies addressing health disparities must account for diminished returns and combat structural racism.
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