Vox – Libby Nelson
“Every year, a new paper argues, tens of thousands of Americans die sooner than they should for an entirely preventable reason. It’s not smoking, or not exercising, or eating sugar. It’s dropping out of high school and college. In 2010 alone, more than 145,000 deaths in the US could have been prevented if high school dropouts had finished their secondary education, three public health researchers argued in a recent paper. Getting college dropouts to graduate could have saved 110,000 more. If everyone in the US had a bachelor’s degree, they estimated, it could prevent half a million premature deaths each year. In general, people with more years of education tend to be healthier. This could be because the knowledge they gain actually helps them — by making them more likely to exercise and eat well, or by making it easier for them to follow doctors’ directions. Or it could be because having more education brings other social benefits.”(more)