EDUCATION ACCESS AND QUALITY
place that help them cope with daily stressors (Fonseca et al., 2020; Zajacova & Lawrence, 2019). Poor health can not only be caused by lower education levels, but it can also cause educational setbacks. Children with chronic illnesses such as asthma can experience difficulties with concentration in school and recurrent absences. School performance can be impacted by a number of health conditions, including obesity, smoking, sleep disorders, asthma, mental health conditions, poor vision or hearing, or hyperactivity. Children with attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been shown to be three times more likely to be held back a grade in school and are nearly three times more likely to drop out of school prior to graduation when compared to peers without ADHD. Children who were born at a low birth weight are at a higher risk of being placed in special education classrooms and tend to have poorer educational outcomes when compared with normal weight peers. Conditions throughout the life span can impact both health and education (Fonseca et al., 2020; Zajacova & Lawrence, 2019). Healthcare Consideration: The American Heart Association lists seven health behaviors and health factors that contribute to cardiovascular health: Keeping an active lifestyle; avoiding tobacco; consuming a heart healthy diet; and maintaining a healthy weight, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and a normal glucose. The individuals most likely to have five of the seven components that contribute to heart health are those with the highest levels of education (Virani et al., 2020). Self-Assessment Quiz Question #2 Which of the following is NOT a pathway through which education impacts health? a. Education typically leads to higher paying, more stable jobs that allow people to build wealth that can be used to improve their health. b. Higher education levels may allow individuals to feel more personal control over their health. c. People with higher education levels are more likely to have social support systems in place that help them cope with daily stressors. d. Education encourages people to think more critically, leading to higher rates of drug abuse. can lead to developmental delays. An example of understimulation is using a television to provide interaction and entertainment for several hours. Whether because of misunderstanding child development or as a form of relief from caregiver stress, social isolation, or poverty, this should be identified, and reasons should be addressed with parental education. Severe neglect can occur in many settings for a variety of reasons and may manifest as failure to provide for a child’s physical, emotional, and educational needs. Lack of food, a safe environment, and provision of medical care can occur, and a child may be left alone or in the company of an unreliable sibling or person. Severe neglect endangers the child’s life and must be identified and reported to the child welfare system (Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab [J-PAL], 2020; van der Horst & van der Veer, 2008). Studies of adolescents have revealed that teens with positive interactions and resources from their social environments (family, school, community) have less anxiety,
The relationship between education and health has been studied in many countries. Studies since the 1960s have shown the benefits of early childhood education in disadvantaged communities. Data reveal that there are benefits of education that extend into adulthood. Adults with higher education levels have been shown to live longer, healthier lives when compared to peers with lower education levels. The odds of death have been shown to decrease by 1% to 3% with each additional year of education. If everyone experienced the mortality rates of college graduates, 50% of all male deaths and 40% of all female deaths would not occur (Oates et al., 2017). Several reasons have been suggested for this relationship, including positive changes in behavior patterns and increased income, which then leads to more nutritious food intake, higher quality living arrangements, and healthier environmental surroundings (Fonseca et al., 2020; Zajacova & Lawrence, 2019). A study by Fonseca and colleagues (2020) found that more years of education led to lower self-report of poor health. Researchers looked at comparable data sets of health measures from multiple countries at times when there were compulsory educational reforms. They examined subjective data of self-reported health, activities of daily living (ADL), and independent activities of daily living (IADL), as well as objective data on subjects that included diagnosed diseases, to determine if there was a relation to years of education. In examining years of education and health outcomes, with no adjustment to variables, researchers found a negative correlation between health and education. Those with more education are less likely to report poor health, a chronic disease, or any limitation in either ADL or IADL. The exception to this is a diagnosis of cancer, which was found to be reported more in those with higher education. The highest correlation is self-report of poor health in those with less education (Fonseca et al., 2020). There are a number of pathways through which education impacts health. Education typically leads to higher paying, more stable jobs that allow people to build wealth that can be used to improve their health. Higher education levels may allow individuals to feel more personal control, partly because of the benefits of increased options for employment, higher income, and other benefits. People with higher education are more likely to have successful long-term marriages and other social support systems in Social connectedness and its effect on health and well-being have been studied in all age groups. The famous Spitz study of 1944 followed two groups of newborns for several years. One group was in an orphanage. They had all their physical needs met but had no physical contact other than that which was necessary for feeding and care. The second group included infants whose mothers were incarcerated but able to care for them and show them affection. At 4 months of age, the infants were developmentally similar. At 1 year, the babies raised in the orphanage with minimal touch were less curious and less playful and had more frequent infections than the group that was interacting with their mothers. In years 2 and 3, the babies in the orphanage were speaking only a few words, and only 2 of 26 could walk. The other group was walking and talking (van der Horst & van der Veer, 2008). Young children require positive stimulation from caregivers to develop cognitive skills, develop language, and learn social and emotional engagement. Lack of this interaction
SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT
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