How Does Education Improve Public Health?

It is no news that we have seen the public health sector getting a serious hit as the pandemic struck us. However, the degree of effect of any pandemic or epidemic depends on much our health sector is prepared to deal with it. The effect of any health hazard also depends on how educated we are to deal with the problem.

Yes, we are connecting education with public health, but most people don’t know why education matters to improve public health. When we hear about any healthcare crisis, we immediately start finding the ailment instead of looking at its origin and trying to find a permanent solution at its core. Fixing the educational condition of a country can be one of the factors that could improve public health conditions in the long term. Let’s take a deep dive to understand this relation.


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How Does Education Affect Health?

Low income due to less education and qualification is a common condition. People lacking financial resources might have to live in a poor neighborhood with a lack of resources and even unhygienic surroundings. Here we have listed different ways in which poor education can be a major factor that affects health.

 Poor education leads to less income due to which people might not have access to healthy food due to which they might get less nutritious food that adversely affects their health.

 Poor neighborhoods would have less green space and parks that could encourage walking and outdoor activities among people. Not having a good neighborhood can be one of the reasons for poor health conditions among people.

 Rural areas where people have low income and are highly populated with less educated people might suffer a shortage or lack of healthcare facilities, primary care physicians, and other healthcare representatives.

 Areas with less educated people might have to see higher crime rates. This factor exposes the residents to risks of violence, fear, and trauma. People living in such areas possibly have poor psychological and physical health conditions.

 People with less income might not be able to send their kids to schools with hygienic surroundings. Low-resource schools usually fail to maintain good sanitary conditions and clean drinking water that possibly affect children's health.

 Not being able to get good jobs would exacerbate economic hardship and poor health conditions. This mostly happens among families that are less educated.

How Can Good Education Lead to Better Health?

To emphasize the importance of education for better health, let us cover some of the health benefits that an individual with good education might witness.

Income and Resources Benefits

 Better job opportunities: It is a known fact that people with more education and qualification are likely to get a good job and financial stability that comes with health-promoting benefits like paid leaves, health insurance, and retirement. On the other hand, adults with less education are more likely to get high-risk job opportunities with limited benefits.

 More earnings: The income of a person is directly related to the health conditions of a person. As people with more education tend to earn more money, they would have better access to medicinal facilities and resources. People lacking financial stability might not be able to get even the basic health facilities.

 Access to resources for good health: People with food incomes would be able to buy healthy good items, have time and resources to take care of fitness and exercise, and pay for the health facilities whenever required. But the same is not people who are less educated and do not have jobs that pay sufficient. People with low wages would have less access to resources and assets that could contribute to good health or healthcare facilities.

Social and Psychological Benefits

 Less stress: People who are more educated and thus have higher incomes are less prone to stress conditions which can be health-harming. In most cases, people undergo stressful conditions because of social and economic hardship. People with no or less education are open to fewer resources, control over life, and social support, which can increase the cases of stress.

 Social networks: Educated people usually get together through support groups and tend to have large social networks. Being connected to other people provides them access to emotional, psychological, and financial resources, which can be helpful to counter stress and hardships related to health. 

So now we know how education plays a great role in any country to improve its health conditions. When it is about fighting poor health situations, the need is to start from the roots, that is, overcoming the troublesome situation of lack of education among people. Promoting education today would build a better future with highly knowledgeable people who would know the importance of good health and access every resource to keep them and their families in good health.