Degree dividends: long life (United States)

Participation in higher education is linked to better health habits and longer life, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The annual report from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics says that people who have at least a bachelor’s degree live around nine years longer than those who do not graduate from high school, USA Today reported. The study, drawing on data from the past decade, found that in 2010, 31 per cent of adults aged 25 to 64 with high school diplomas or less smoked; the rate was 24 per cent among those with some college experience and 9 per cent among those with undergraduate degrees. “Highly educated people tend to have healthier behaviors, avoid unhealthy ones and have more access to medical care when they need it,” said Amy Bernstein, the report’s lead author.

Source: Times Higher Education http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=420029&c=1