Education Improves Public Health and Promotes Health Equity

TLDR

Basic educational skills such as knowledge, reasoning, emotional regulation, and interactional abilities are critical for health, and education is a fundamental upstream social determinant of health. The article argues that educational programs and policies are essential public health interventions and that closing educational gaps between low‑income or minority and higher‑income or majority populations is needed to promote health equity. The authors develop concepts linking education and health, reviewing empirical studies to clarify pathways and implications. Systematic evidence shows that collaboration among public health policymakers, health practitioners, educators, and health and education departments can implement educational programs and policies that yield clear public health benefits.

Abstract

This article describes a framework and empirical evidence to support the argument that educational programs and policies are crucial public health interventions. Concepts of education and health are developed and linked, and we review a wide range of empirical studies to clarify pathways of linkage and explore implications. Basic educational expertise and skills, including fundamental knowledge, reasoning ability, emotional self-regulation, and interactional abilities, are critical components of health. Moreover, education is a fundamental social determinant of health - an upstream cause of health. Programs that close gaps in educational outcomes between low-income or racial and ethnic minority populations and higher-income or majority populations are needed to promote health equity. Public health policy makers, health practitioners and educators, and departments of health and education can collaborate to implement educational programs and policies for which systematic evidence indicates clear public health benefits.