Callander, Emily J. (2016) Pathways between health, education and income in adolescence and adulthood. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 101 (9). pp. 825-831.

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Abstract

Objective: To quantify the impact of household income, and physical and mental health in adolescence on education attainment, household income and health status in adulthood.

Design: Path analysis and regression models using waves 1–12 of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey.

Participants: Individuals aged 17 or 18 in 2001, 52% were males (n=655) and 48% were female (52%). Of those participating in wave 1, five did not respond in wave 12.

Main outcome measures: Education attainment, household income, physical and mental health at age 29/30.

Results: For females, physical health at age 17/18 was significantly related to level of education attainment at age 29/30 (standardised total effect 0.290, p<0.001), with this influence being greater in magnitude than that of household income at age 17/18 on level of education attainment at age 29/30 (standardised total effect 0.159, p=0.022). Females' physical health at age 17/18 was also significantly related to household income at age 29/30 (standardised total effect 0.09, p=0.018). Both adjusted for initial household income at age 17/18. For males, the total standardised total effect of physical health at age 17/18 had a greater impact than household income at age 17/18 on education attainment at age 29/30 (0.347, p<0.001 for physical health and 0.276, p<0.001 for household income). The OR of achieving a year 12 or higher level of education attainment was 4.72 (95% CI 1.43 to 15.58, p=0.0110) for females with good physical health at age 17/18 and 5.05 (95% CI 1.78 to 14.36, p=0.0024) for males, compared with those with poor physical health at age 17/18.

Conclusions: As physical health in adolescence appears to have a stronger influence on education attainment in adulthood than household income, equity strategies for education attainment should also target those with poor health.

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