Health and education are inextricably linked. Educational attainment is the social factor that is the single greatest predictor of a person’s health and well-being across the lifespan.
So many things can affect a student’s ability to learn. Some children and teens face hunger or homelessness. Others struggle with a myriad of other stressors that accompany them to school each day – or may even emanate from an unhealthy school climate. Many students today are confronted with bullying and don’t feel safe at school or in their communities. Still others grapple with chronic illness. Educational success starts with healthy students who are ready to learn. Even the best teachers and schools cannot overcome illness, and chronic stress.
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Promoting Early Childhood Education as a Mitigator of Health Disparities
Early childhood is an integral time to promote healthy development. Early childhood education programs aim to improve the learning, behavior and social development of children. These programs can also act as a protective factor against the future onset of disease and disability in adulthood.
Recognizing the importance of early childhood education for the health and wellbeing of children, in 2017, APHA passed a policy statement calling on universal preschool for all children in the United States.
Addressing the High School Dropout Crisis
School dropout is not only an educational issue, but also a public health one.
Students who complete high school in four years increase their likelihood of practicing health promoting behaviors, experiencing better health, living longer, and reducing the incidence of mortality and sickness in any children they may have.
Many, if not most, of the barriers to high school graduation — including teen pregnancy, school violence, hunger, homelessness and unmet physical and mental health needs — are the same barriers to vibrant health and well-being. Although the number of students dropping out is decreasing, as is the case with health disparities, the odds of dropping out of school are disproportionately stacked against Latino, Black and American Indian/Alaska Native students.
A positive school climate fosters social, emotional and physical safety; student, parent and teacher engagement; positive attitudes about learning and collective responsibility for the school and school environment.
Students who attend schools with a positive school climate have increased self-esteem and self-concept, attend school more, have reduced behavioral issues and increased graduation rates. Different students experience school differently. Research shows that students of different races and ethnicities have different perceptions of their school climate.
When students are supported in their schools with a positive school climate, they are much more likely to thrive and continue school until graduation.
High school graduation is a public health priority and an indicator of Healthy People 2030 Adolescent Health Objective 8 and APHA policy statement 20165.
(Re)Connecting Students to Education and the Workforce
Opportunity Youth refer to teenagers and young adults ages 16-24 in the United States who are disconnected from both school and employment, which poses short- and long-term health risks. Disconnected youth are at a higher risk for various long-term social, emotional, behavioral and physical health problems and premature death from preventable conditions.
In 2021, approximately 4.69 million (12.6%) of youth ages 16-24 were disconnected from both school and the workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic greatly exacerbated the youth disconnection rate. Youth of color are disproportionately represented in the disconnected population. In 2021, among disconnected youth, approximately 23.5% were American Indian, 18% were Black and 14% were Hispanic, compared to 9.8% of white and 6.9% of Asian American/Pacific Islander youth.
APHA works with national and local partners to promote policies and practices to address youth disconnection. For example, an APHA Policy Statement 20214 calls for a systems level approach for reducing the number of disconnected youth in the United States.
Addressing Higher Education as a Determinant of Health
Higher education and other post-secondary opportunities lead to better health outcomes.
Individuals who attend college report better health than those with only a high school diploma. College graduates are also more likely to own their own home, start their own business and have access to healthcare. College graduates report reduced rates of chronic illness, better mental health and wellbeing and higher rates of health promoting behaviors.
Diversity within education and the workforce is paramount to ensuring a healthy nation. In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, APHA signed on to an amicus brief in support of the need to maintain race conscious admissions. It is also important to note how vital it is to support our historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). HBCUs have produced 70% of this nation’s black physicians and given that racism is a public health crisis in America, research shows that students of color who graduated from HBCUs were less likely to develop heart disease and stroke when compared to student of color attending predominately white institutions.
Contact Us
If you like to learn more about APHA’s work advancing education and health, please contact Tia Taylor Williams at tia.taylor@apha.org.
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