Education May Help Cheat Death

Higher education can lower risk of death, a new study by a team of researchers claims.

The study explained that higher education was also associated with other factors like higher income, healthier lifestyle choices, improved social and psychological well-being, all of which contribute to longevity. To arrive at their conclusions researchers studied data on mortality of the population dating back to 1925.

"Our results suggest that policies and interventions that improve educational attainment could substantially improve survival in the U.S. population, especially given widening educational disparities, said the study's co-author Patrick Krueger.

The analysis of data suggested that around 145,243 deaths of adults who did not go to high school in could have been averted in 2010 if they had completed school. Similarly, as many as 110,068 deaths of people who had some college education but did not complete their degree could have been prevented if they had completed education. The numbers are comparable to number of people who die of smoking.

Researchers also looked at archival data to realize that rates of deaths fell quickly among people who those with college education.

"Education - which is a more fundamental, upstream driver of health behaviors and disparities - should also be a key element of U.S. health policy," said co-author Virginia Chang.

The findings of the study were published in the journal PLOS ONE.