Is there a relationship between health behaviours and educational outcomes? new WHO report

The report of The WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development underlines that there could be a causal relationship between health and education in high income countries.

The research included several health related behaviors, namely: alcohol consumption, drug use, smoking, nutrition, obesity and overweight and physical activity. The health outcomes covered in the study were restricted to: sleeping disorders, mental health and well-being, and asthma.

Results

All in all, the main findings of the report showed that binge drinking, marijuana, smoking, nutritional issues, obesity and overweight, lack of physical exercise, anxiety and depression, asthma, all appear to be significantly associated with educational outcomes, and sustain the fact that there could be a causal relationship between health and education in high income countries.

This could have crucial implications for how the health of children should be viewed in current policy-making decisions at EU level and beyond, which strategies could effectively improve educational outcomes in children and adolescents, and where investments should be made, especially in the frame of the 4th target of the EU2020 strategy, aiming at improving educational outcomes by reducing school dropout rates, and improving the completion of third level education.

This is in line with the European Charter on Health Equity that EPHA promotes and encourages to sign up to, and presented during the EPHA Annual Conference 2011.

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