Title |
Importance of physical health and health-behaviors in adolescence for risk of dropout from secondary education in young adulthood: an 8-year prospective study
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Published in |
International Journal for Equity in Health, November 2015
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DOI | 10.1186/s12939-015-0272-x |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Erla Svansdottir, Sigurbjorn A. Arngrimsson, Thorarinn Sveinsson, Erlingur Johannsson |
Abstract |
Education and health constitute two interlinked assets that are highly important to individuals. In Iceland, prevalence of dropout from secondary education poses a considerable problem. This 8-year prospective study assesses to what extent poor physical health and negative health-behaviors of Icelandic adolescents predict increased odds of dropout from secondary education. The sample included n = 201 Icelandic children who participated at age 15 (baseline) and again at age 23 (follow-up). Data included objective measurements of physical health and questionnaires assessing health-behaviors, education status, parental education, neighborhood characteristics, self-esteem, and depression. Independent t-tests and chi-square were used to assess differences in physical health and health-behaviors at follow-up stratified by education status. Ordinal regression models were conducted to assess whether physical health and health-behaviors at age 15 predicted increased odds of dropout from secondary education at age 23, independent of gender, parental education and psychological factors. At age 23, 78 % of girls and 71 % of boys had completed a secondary education. Completion of a secondary education was associated with significant health benefits, especially among women. Women without a secondary education had lower fitness, more somatic complaints, higher diastolic blood pressure, less sports participation, and poorer sleep, whilst men without a secondary education watched more television. In logistic regression models somatic complaints during adolescence were associated with 1.09 (95 % CI: 1.02-1.18) higher odds of dropout from secondary education in young adulthood, independent of covariates. Health-behaviors associated with higher dropout odds included smoking (3.67, 95 % CI: 1.50-9.00), alcohol drinking (2.57, 95 % CI: 1.15-5.75), and time spent watching television (1.27, 95 % CI:1.03-1.56), which were independent of most covariates. Finally, mother's higher education was strongly associated with significantly lower dropout odds (OR 0.54, 95 % CI: 0.34-0.88) independent of father's education and psychological factors, whilst high self-esteem was independently associated with lower dropout odds (OR 0.91, 95 % CI: 0.85-0.98). Completion of a secondary education yields substantial physical health benefits for young women, but not for men. Importantly, somatic complaints and negative health-behaviors among adolescent boys and girls adversely impact their educational outcomes later in life, and may have widespread consequences for their future prospects. |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Spain | 1 | <1% |
United States | 1 | <1% |
Brazil | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 152 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 24 | 15% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 17 | 11% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 16 | 10% |
Student > Bachelor | 14 | 9% |
Researcher | 9 | 6% |
Other | 24 | 15% |
Unknown | 51 | 33% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 29 | 19% |
Psychology | 19 | 12% |
Sports and Recreations | 15 | 10% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 11 | 7% |
Social Sciences | 10 | 6% |
Other | 11 | 7% |
Unknown | 60 | 39% |