CDC Shows Higher Education Is Linked to Longer Life

Now, this is interesting. Last April, the Associated Press released a study citing that 1 in 2 graduates are currently jobless or unemployed. A part of this is due to the fact that while the job market is relatively hot when it comes to the fields of science education and health, it’s also pretty cool over in the arts and humanities departments. Plus, the country is still trying to find a balance as its continuing to heal from the recession that we’ve been in for several years.
Yet, according to the Center for Disease Control, there are statistics to support the fact that if you have a higher education, you have a much higher chance of living longer; a trend that has been consistent for the past few decades.

One example provided was this: Two years ago, people with college degrees between the ages of 25-64 were found to only have 9% of smokers within that demographic. When it came to those with a high school diploma or those who dropped out, 24% of them smoked.

Amy Bernstein, a researcher for the National Center for Health Statistics, stated that it’s the belief that people with a college education are healthier when it comes to their choices and habits, they have a greater access to medical care and they are more proactive in avoiding unhealthy behaviors.

Additional studies reveal that there is a direct correlation between people with low income and those without a college degree. Therefore, a person’s financial state can also play a role in their health issues because they may partake in health hazard habits like fast food eating, smoking and excessive drinking to cope with their less than ideal situations.

There are statistics to support these findings as well. In 2010, it was discovered that in homes where the head of the household only had a high school diploma, 22% of boys and 24% of girls were found to be obese; for children growing up in college-degreed homes, it’s 11% for boys and 7% for girls.

So what makes all of this so interesting? Well, one thing that the study did not address was how stress affects both sides of the education coin. In other words, although a person with a college degree has the potential to make thousands more in their lifetime than those without a degree, if those same college-educated people are without a job, what does it say about “the upper hand” then? Being that it’s so hard for someone with a degree to get a job in this current economy, are they not in a similar position as those who are considered to be “low income” that don’t have a college education? People can get MBA degrees online, but if there is no job to pay for that investment, what then?

A higher education may be linked to a longer life, but when it comes to living an optimal healthy lifestyle, that tends to not be a free ride. If the job situation does not change, it will be pretty revealing what these kinds of studies will indicate over the course of the next ten years or so. Stress significantly affects one’s health and these are stressful times we’re living in. Whether you have a college degree or not.