Education and health in America do not seem to be related at first glance, and directly, they may or may not be related. But indirectly, education and health in America parallel one another more than we may recognize. Statistically speaking, the more educated a person is, the better their health is. And equally, the worse someone’s health is, the less chance they have at being highly educated. Why these trends exist can be argued in many different ways, but social experts tend to point toward two different reasons: privilege and awareness.

Privilege comes with money, as do education and healthcare. This is an obvious factor to American society and all global societies, but less obvious is how these factors are interconnected. Families and individuals who are wealthy tend to afford themselves higher educations, where as families and individuals who are poor do not have as many education options. Likewise, those who are wealthy can also afford better healthcare than those who are poor, which statistically puts them in a healthier demographic. We are all aware of the impact money has on our lifestyles, and education and healthcare are no exception.

However, healthcare is not the only means to good health. The daily choices we make about nutrition, exercise and other lifestyle practices impact our health as much, if not more so, than what kind of healthcare we can afford. The interesting thing is that these lifestyle choices we make are informed by our education – the body of knowledge and discernment we have on health related matters. In modern times, almost all members of American society have access to enough free information on health that most anyone has the option of being health conscious. It is recognized, however, that the thought patterns created by a higher education generally lead to more organized and thorough decision making on one’s personal health. Statistically, disease, bad hygiene, addiction and mental disorder are more prevalent in less educated factions of society, and there is a greater need for medical practices, health awareness and substance abuse rehabilitation in these environments.