Health and education in the young adult transition: Variations by race and gender

Over the past four decades, a significant body of evidence has documented the effects of education on health. Recently, a new wave of research has found evidence that health also influences educational attainment. Individuals' health in their growing years has critical consequences for their life course, including educational and career trajectories; these, in turn, impact future health. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study investigates, for the first time, differences in the relationship between self-rated health in adolescence and educational attainment in early adulthood among black and white males and females. It also examines psychological and behavioral factors by which health may influence educational attainment, as well as whether these differ by race and gender. Findings reveal a significant association between health and educational attainment among all groups examined. Specifically, youth with fair or poor self-rated health are 52-69% less likely to obtain a high school degree or enter college compared with those with very good or excellent self-rated health. Adolescents with more moderate health deficits, i.e., good self-rated health, also show significantly lower levels of educational attainment compared with those with very good or excellent health. These patterns do, however, vary by race and gender. Lower self-rated health appears to have the most adverse effect on educational attainment among white women, followed by black men. Findings concerning the potential mediating and moderating roles of depression, self-esteem, educational expectations, and school engagement add to our understanding of the health-education connection across these different groups.