University of Wisconsin, Madison, 53706, USA.
J Health Soc Behav. 2010 Dec;51(4):478-96. doi: 10.1177/0022146510386796.
Just as postsecondary schooling serves as a dividing line between the advantaged and disadvantaged on outcomes like income and marital status, it also serves as a dividing line between the healthy and unhealthy. Why are the better educated healthier? Human capital theory posits that education makes one healthier via cognitive (skill improvements) and noncognitive psychological resources (traits such as conscientiousness and a sense of mastery). I employ the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (1957-2005) to test the relative strength of measures of cognitive human capital versus noncognitive psychological human capital in explaining the relationship between education and health outcomes among high school graduates. I find little evidence that noncognitive psychological human capital is a significant mediator, but find a relatively significant role for cognitive human capital, as measured by high school academic performance. It is not just higher educational attainment; academic performance is strongly linked to health in later life.
正如高等教育在收入和婚姻状况等结果上将优势群体和弱势群体区分开来一样,它也将健康人群和不健康人群区分开来。为什么受教育程度更高的人更健康?人力资本理论认为,教育通过认知(技能提高)和非认知心理资源(如尽责和掌握感等特质)使人们更健康。我利用威斯康星州纵向研究(1957-2005 年)来检验认知人力资本和非认知心理人力资本在解释高中毕业生教育与健康结果之间关系的相对强度。我发现几乎没有证据表明非认知心理人力资本是一个重要的中介,但发现认知人力资本(以高中学业成绩衡量)具有相对重要的作用。这不仅仅是更高的教育程度;学业成绩与晚年的健康密切相关。