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Does the Type and Timing of Educational Attainment Influence Physical Health? A Novel Application of Sequence Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Nontraditional education trajectories are common, but their influence on physical health is understudied. We constructed year-by-year education trajectories for 7,501 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 participants aged 14 to 48 years (262,535 person-years of education data from 1979 to 2014). We characterized trajectory similarity using sequence analysis and used hierarchical clustering to group similar educational trajectories. Using linear regression, we predicted physical health summary scores of the participants at age 50 years from the 12-item Short-Form Survey, adjusting for available confounders, and evaluated effect modification by sex, race/ethnicity, and childhood socioeconomic status. We identified 24 unique educational sequence clusters on the basis of highest level of schooling and attendance timing. General education development credentials predicted poorer health than did high school diplomas (β = -3.07, 95% confidence interval: -4.07, -2.07), and bachelor's degrees attained at earlier ages predicted better health than the same degree attained at later ages (β = 1.66, 95% confidence interval: 0.05, 3.28). Structurally marginalized groups benefited more from some educational trajectories than did advantaged groups (e.g., Black vs. White Americans with some college; those of low vs. high childhood socioeconomic status who received an associate's or bachelor's degree). Both type and timing of educational credentials may influence physical health. Literature to date has likely underestimated the impact of educational trajectories on health.

SUBMITTER: Vable AM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7604526 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:The brain is the organ of thought. The word thought is defined as the act of thinking about or considering something: an idea or opinion, or a set of ideas about a particular subject. It implicitly includes the processes of learning. Mental functions, including most if not all aspects of human behavior, such as those related to learning, arise from the activity of the brain. Neural connections that generate and support mental functions are formed throughout life, which enables lifelong learning of new concepts and skills. Both brain formation and function, as well as neural plasticity, are influenced by the activity of a variety of genes and also by epigenetic modifications, which contribute to the regulation of gene expression by adapting it to environmental conditions. In this review, aimed especially at education professionals, I discuss the genetic and epigenetic contributions to mental aspects related to learning processes in terms of heritability. I will argue that, despite most if not all aspects related to learning having a clear genetic background, innate abilities can be enhanced or diminished through educational processes. Thus, the importance of education, in the context of the inheritability of learning processes, will be discussed. The conclusion I draw is that, despite the relatively high genetic heritability shown in most brain processes associated with learning, educational practices are a key contributor to student development, allowing genetically based skills to be enhanced or alternatively diminished. Therefore one of the main goals of education in a changing an uncertain world should be to form adaptable and versatile people who can, and want to, make the most of their capabilities. Thus, knowledge derived from genetics and epigenetics, as well as from neuroscience, should be used to enhance education professionals' understanding of the biological origins of differences in mental capabilities, thereby empowering them with the possibility to adopt more respectful and flexible educational practices to attain the goal mentioned above.

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Does the Type and Timing of Educational Attainment Influence Physical Health? A Novel Application of Sequence Analysis.

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