Education and health.
Figure 4 depicts three interrelated pathways through which educational attainment (completed schooling) is linked with health. It is widely recognized that education can lead to improved health by increasing health knowledge and healthy behaviors. This may be explained in part by literacy, allowing more-educated individuals to make better-informed, health related decisions—including about receipt and management of medical care—for themselves and their families (36, 99). Greater educational attainment has been associated with health-promoting behaviors (3) and earlier adoption of health-related recommendations.