Health Impacts of Education

Health Impacts of Education

a review

Institute of Public Health in Ireland

Health Impacts of Education

a review

Prepared by Claire Higgins Teresa Lavin Owen Metcalfe Institute of Public Health in Ireland November 2008

Health Impacts of Education: a review Published by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland

? The Institute of Public Health in Ireland, 2008 Reproduction authorised for non-commercial purposes provided the source is acknowledged

Prepared by Claire Higgins, Teresa Lavin and Owen Metcalfe

The Institute is very grateful to ?ine Hyland (formerly UCC), Andy Pollak (Centre for Cross Border Studies), readers in the Department of Education and Science, Republic of Ireland and the Department of Education, Northern Ireland for reviewing a draft of this document.

ISBN 978-0-9559598-1-3

For further copies of this document please contact:

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contents

Foreword

4

1: Introduction

5

1.1 A shared responsibility for health

5

1.2 Education as a social determinant of health

5

1.3 Inequalities in education and health

5

1.4 Research methodology

6

1.5 Diagram showing links between education and health

6

2: How education influences health

7

2.1 Health outcomes associated with education

7

Education, mortality and morbidity

7

Education and health behaviours

8

Education and health knowledge

10

Parental education and child health

10

2.2 Routes to health through education

11

Employment

11

Social behaviours and attitudes

12

Personal behaviours and attitudes

12

2.3 Supporting healthy behaviours and attitudes in the school environment

13

3: Education and health in Ireland

16

3.1 Educational outcomes

16

Overall increases in education

16

Poor literacy and numeracy skills

17

Early school leavers

18

Socioeconomic status

18

Gender differences

20

Ethnicity and cultural background

21

3.2 Targeting educational disadvantage

21

Pre-school

22

First and second level

23

Third level

23

Adult education

24

4: Conclusion

25

4.1 Addressing inequality

25

4.2 A lifecourse perspective

26

4.3 Cross jurisdictional learning

27

4.4 Cooperation between education and health

27

Appendix: Education systems in Ireland

28

Republic of Ireland

28

Northern Ireland

28

References

30

3

Foreword

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) was established to promote cooperation for public health across the island of Ireland. It aims to improve health by working to combat health inequalities and influence public policy in favour of health. One of the objectives of IPH is to provide clearly interpretable, easily accessible information on public health. In recognition that health is determined by social, economic and environmental circumstances, IPH has previously produced review documents focusing on the health impacts of transport, the health impacts of employment and the health impacts of the built environment. This review is the fourth in the series and illustrates how education impacts on health. It shows how education influences health through a range of interconnecting pathways and identifies the ways in which social, economic and cultural differences within the population impact on the experience of and outcomes from education with subsequent implications for health. This document is aimed at a wide audience, including policy-makers and practitioners in health and education and those working in the community. We hope it will help inform debate about the links between education and health and be a useful resource for those working to influence public policy for health at local and national level across the island.

Jane Wilde Chief Executive Institute of Public Health in Ireland

4

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