1. Education and Self-Direction Toward Health John Mirowsky National Institutes of Health Symposium on Education and Health December 2, 2009 Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

2. Topics The sociological perspective The sociology of health and aging Sociological facts about education Observations about education and health Theory of education’s importance to health Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin Education and Health

3. The five main points Broadly beneficial Large health differences Grow across adulthood Becoming more important Due to learned effectiveness Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

4. National Institute on Aging Aging, status and the sense of control RO1-AG12393; PI: John Mirowsky Education, resource substitution and health RO1-AG023380; PI: Catherine E. Ross National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Educational differences in U.S. adult mortality RO1-HD053696; PI: Robert A. Hummer Population Research Center R24-HD042849; Director Mark Hayward Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin Research Support

5. Sociology Empirical investigation Critical analysis HUMAN science Subjects, not objects Information for Policymakers Scientists The public Scientific study of human social behavior Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

6. Sociology Stratification Demography Social psychology Three traditional divisions Integrated in the study of health and aging Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

7. Stratification Ascribed statuses Sex, race, ethnicity, AGE Achieved statuses Income, wealth, occupation, prestige, EDUCATION The study of social status: relative social standing, rank, position, class, strata Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

8. Demography Dynamics migration, births, DEATHS demographic transition Composition Sex, race, ethnicity, AGE population aging The study of human populations Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

9. Demography Age Time since birth Period Time of observation Cohort Time of birth Three analytic concepts of time Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

10. Social Psychology The study of beliefs, attitudes, lifestyles and well-being Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin Social status Conditions and events Beliefs and lifestyles Well-being and health

11. Social Psychology Powerlessness Isolation Normlessness Meaninglessness Mistrust Origins in research on alienation Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

12. Social Psychology Acute stressors Life events Undesirable Uncontrollable Abnormal timing Abormal order Stressful events and conditions Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

13. Social Psychology Chronic stressors Economic hardship Trouble paying bills, buying food, paying for medical care Unfulfilling work Tedious, constricting or demeaning versus interesting, challenging and self-expressive Single parenthood Neighborhood disorder Threatening and demoralizing signs of abandonment and crime Stressful events and conditions Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

14. Sociology of Health and Aging Life course A path taken through life Health and well-being Feeling healthy, functioning well Trajectory Expected value of an outcome as a function of age, within cohorts Trend Age-specific outcomes changing across cohorts Studying trajectories and trends in health and well-being Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

15. Life course trajectories Trajectories describe the changes in an outcome as a cohort goes through life. Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

16. Inter-cohort trends Trends describe the changes across cohorts in age-specific outcomes Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

17. Trends in trajectories Over periods of several years, most outcomes show trends in the trajectories Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

18. Facts about education Differences across levels of education do not fade with the passing of time #1 Education is a structural variable It identifies population strata that regress toward different expected values Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

19. Facts about education Differences across levels of education often grow with time since the end of schooling #1 Education is a structural variable It identifies population strata that regress toward different expected values Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

20. Facts about education #1 Education is a structural variable Trajectories and trends differ across levels of education. Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

21. Facts about education Education influences other aspects of achieved status Occupation Prestige Employment Job security Management level Job quality Autonomy and creativity Earnings Household income Wealth #2 Education is the preeminent aspect of social stratification in the U.S. Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

22. Facts about education Status attainment within cohorts Status transmission between generations The way children inherit parental status Upward mobility between generations The way children rise above status origins #2 Education is the preeminent aspect of social stratification in the U.S. Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

23. Facts about education Upward mobility between generations Children must achieve higher average levels of education than their parents to keep the average level of education from falling #2 Education is the preeminent aspect of social stratification in the U.S. Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

24. Observations about education and health The better educated… …feel healthier …have fewer impairments and disabilities that interfere with daily life …more frequently feel vigorous and thriving …less often suffer aches, pains and malaise …less often feel worried or depressed …carry fewer diagnoses of threatening or debilitation chronic disease …expect to live longer …commonly do live longer #1 Health is better at higher levels of education by every measure Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

25. Observations about education and health #2 The differences in health across levels of education are large Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

26. Observations about education and health #2 The differences in health across levels of education are large Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

27. Observations about education and health #2 The differences in health across levels of education are large Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

28. Observations about education and health #3 The differences in health across levels of education increase within cohorts as they age Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

29. Observations about education and health #3 The differences in health across levels of education increase within cohorts as they age Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

30. Observations about education and health #3 The differences in health across levels of education increase within cohorts as they age Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

31. Observations about education and health #4 Within levels of education, there is a trend toward worse age- specific health in newer cohorts Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

32. Observations about education and health #5 The health benefits of additional schooling are greater for persons with low- education parents Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

33. Observations about education and health #5a The health benefits of education are greater for those less likely to get more schooling Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

34. Observations about education and health #5b The health disadvantage from having parents with low education… Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

35. Observations about education and health #5b The health disadvantage from having parents with low education tends to vanish for those who get college degrees Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

36. Observations about education and health #6 Education improves health outcomes at every step Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

37. Theoretical explanations Cumulative advantage Human capital Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

38. Theoretical explanations Small changes add up over the decades of adulthood Small differences in rates make large differences in outcomes over time Advantages and disadvantages compound Cumulative advantage A benefit acquired by successive addition Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

39. Theoretical explanations Accumulators Gather many smaller effects into a large one Once present, tend to stay present “Stocks” vs. “flows” Integrating with respect to time Tend to compound Cumulative advantage Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

40. Theoretical explanations Accumulators Socioeconomic Earnings, income, savings, investments, durable goods, seniority, rank, authority Behavioral Habits Smoking, moderate drinking, physical activity, diet, planning, active problem solving, information seeking, critical thinking Relationships Supportive and stable Beliefs Sense of control Health beliefs Cumulative advantage Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

41. Theoretical explanations Bio-accumulators Body fat Resting metabolic rate Cardiac output Vital capacity Atrophy of thymus Atrophy of hippocampus Bone density Joint flexibility Muscle mass Ratio of fast to slow muscle fibers Blood pressure LDL/HDL cholesterol Arteriosclerosis Insulin resistance Mitochondrial DNA errors Collagen and elastin cross-linkage Cumulative advantage Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

42. Theoretical explanations Human capital Productive knowledge, skill, habits and abilities Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

43. Theoretical explanations Learned effectiveness Information seeking Future orientation Planning Deferred gratification Critical analysis Communication skills Writing Speaking Sense of control Self-direction Resource substitution Human capital Productive knowledge, skill, habits and abilities Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

44. Theoretical explanations Creative work Challenging Solving problems Learning new things Designing and planning Engaging Doing different things in different ways Nonroutine Human capital Productive knowledge, skill, habits and abilities Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin

45. Education and Health The five main points Broadly beneficial Large health differences Grow across adulthood Becoming more important Due to learned effectiveness Population Research Center The University of Texas at Austin