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TABLE 6. SUMMARY OF EXPLANATIONS FOR THE LINK BETWEEN EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ANDHEALTH STATUSPossible pathways how education affects healthIndependenteffect to healthPathway Education HealthHuman capital The human capital approach implies that education improvesapproach individual ability to produce health. The skills, the knowledgeand resources acquired in school build abilities that can beused to foster health. The resources acquired througheducation are inherent in the people themselves. Education aslearned effectiveness helps individuals gain access toresources that promote health, use effectively these resourcesand health-related information, and thus adopt health promotingbehaviors.Personal controlEducation increases a sense of personal control, a perceptionof control and ability to alter the environment an individual livesin, which leads to adoption of healthy lifestyle. Educationteaches problem-solving skills and confidence.Dependent(indirect) effectto healthControlling forincomeSES*At households of the same income level and demographics,families with higher levels of education tend to experience lesseconomic hardship consequences and have better health atany level of income. Differences in health by income decreaseas education increases.Education is antecedent to all the other measures of SES as itcomes early in life and shapes future occupational opportunitiesand earning potentials. It is the best SES predictor of healthstatus.SES and health are inversely associated by agradient. All SES indicators such as income,occupation, education level, social class, and wealthhave proved to be related with health outcomes.IncomeUse of medicalcareEmployment,occupation, workEducation attainment usually translates in economic well-beingand advantage. It increases household income due to higherchances of finding high wage employment, having two in thehousehold and being married to someone with similareducation and income level.Differences in health across levels of education and incomecannot be explained by different access to medical care,although high quality medical care improves outcomes forpeople suffering from diseases.Education increases the likelihood for individuals to beemployed at full-time jobs that are better paid, and that allowworkers to use their creativity, have control over their work andhave work autonomy, all together thought to favor health.Income has a strong relationship with health. Itprovides the access to material resources for basicneeds, including health care. Differential access tothese resources by income will also have an impacton health outcomes. Income seems to have anindependent effect on health. Declining mortality isassociated on an income-based gradient withincreasing income, particularly in males and inworking age groups.Occupation and health are involved in a dualrelationship where full-time employment helpindividual be healthy and vice versa.Social resourcesBiological riskBetter educated people are likely to be married and tend tohave stable relationships, emotional and social support, andmore contacts with health care. As such they have betterpsychological wellbeing and physical health. The effect ofmarriage in health however is mixed.There is strong evidence that better educated people exhibitlower allostatic load where allostatic load is positively relatedwith mortality. Allostatic load is defined like total cumulative ofphysiological deregulations across multiple physiologicregulatory systems and which impacts significantly health andlongevity.* SES, Socio-economic statusSocioeconomic status (SES) has consistently been found to influence to a great extent individuals’health. The association between SES and health presents a positive gradient for most health outcomes(that is, the greater the SES, the better the health), whether SES is measured by education, occupation,E-37