Education, cognitive ability, and cause-specific mortality: a structural approach

Bijwaard, Govert E., Tynelius, Per and Myrskylä, Mikko (2018) Education, cognitive ability, and cause-specific mortality: a structural approach. Population Studies. ISSN 0032-4728

Preview

Text - Accepted Version Download (678kB) | Preview

• Author

Abstract

Education is negatively associated with most major causes of death. Prior work ignores the premise that cause-specific hazards are interdependent and that both education and mortality depend on cognitive ability. We analyse Swedish men aged 18–63, focusing on months lost due to specific causes—which solves the interdependence problem—and use a structural model that accounts for confounding due to cognitive ability. In a standard Cox model controlling for Intelligence Quotient, improving education is associated with large decreases in mortality for major causes of death. In the structural model, improving education is associated with a small decrease in months lost for most causes and education levels. Among the least educated, however, improving education strongly reduces the months lost, mainly those lost from external causes, such as accidents and suicide. Results suggest that conventional analysis of education and mortality may be biased, even if accounting for observed cognition.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rpst20/current
Additional Information:	© 2018
Divisions:	Social Policy
Subjects:	L Education > L Education (General) R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Date Deposited:	19 Sep 2018 12:07
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2024 22:48
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/90242

Actions (login required)

View Item