In as much as I agree with the fact that health care systems contribute a great deal to the achievement of good health, I do not subscribe to initiatives that focus on treatment other than prevention of poor health outcomes. Peoples’ opportunities for health are strongly influenced by the social and economic conditions in which they live. I recognize that a broad range of factors at the local, national and global level have important influences on health. As most of these factors are outside the direct responsibility of the health care sector, building greater awareness among other sectors about the impact of their policies and practices on health is vital in working to create better health.
Higher levels of education help to create wealthier economies. However, the benefits of education go far beyond economic ones. Education can have positive impact on the levels of social engagement, an important factor in generating more cohesive, safer and healthier societies. At an individual level, the knowledge, personal and social skills provided through education can better equip individuals to access and use information and services to maintain and improve their own health, as well their family’s health. Improved understanding of the relationship between education and health will help to identify where intervention is most appropriate and effective in improving both individual and population health.
As a young leader who is dedicated to achieving health equity, I am convinced that access to and participation in the education system are prerequisites to achieving the health benefits that education can provide. Take the case of Lucky, a twelve year old boy from the Rukungiri district of Western Uganda born with HIV/AIDS. After losing his parents at the age of six, Lucky was left in the care of his grandparents who could not afford to educate him and had little knowledge on nutrition and how to care for HIV/AIDS infected persons. During the day Lucky’s grandfather runs a small business in their village trading center while his grandmother spends her entire day soaked in local brew. Lucky and his seven siblings were often left at home alone with no food to eat. He became malnourished, anemic and dehydrated.
Regardless of the ARVs drugs that Lucky takes daily, his immunity weakened to the extent that his CD4 count (the measure of white blood cells in blood) fell to seven, way below a normal person’s CD4 count of 300-400 white blood cells. Nyaka Orphans Project (where I am currently placed as a Global Health Corps Fellow), an organization that is working on behalf of HIV/AIDS orphans in rural Uganda to end systematic deprivation, poverty and hunger precisely through investing in community, education and health, has given Lucky new opportunities to achieve better health. Lucky is now receiving free education that comes along with breakfast and lunch. This education program has taught Lucky and his guardians the importance of good nutrition in the management of HIV/AIDS. Today Lucky is in grade four of his elementary education and experiencing better health. I am optimistic that with better education and treatment, Lucky will live longer and have a great life.
A long term study was conducted in rural Uganda over an 11 year period from 1990-2001, covering different stages of HIV/AIDS epidemic, demonstrating that education alone has a positive influence on HIV/AIDS prevention (De Walque, 2005). The findings suggest that over a decade, educated young adults especially females, became more likely to respond to HIV/AIDS information and prevention campaigns by effectively reducing their sexual risk behaviors.
A report released in October 2004 by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) shows that the magnitude of the relationship between education and health varies across conditions, but is generally positive. An additional four years of education lowers five year mortality by 1.8%, it also reduces the risk of heart disease by 2.16% and the risk of diabetes by 1.3%. Four more years of schooling lowers the probability of reporting oneself in fair or poor health by 6% and reduces lost days of work to sickness by 2.3% each year.
While the percentage of people acquiring education in Uganda is increasing, some groups within the population continue to be more disadvantaged educationally. Given that many of the root causes of inequalities in education mirror those of health inequalities, a term used to describe the unfair distribution of health in society. I find it extremely vital for global health activists to combine efforts to support and promote easy access and provision of education to the less fortunate. Furthermore, I urge donor organizations to focus funding on grassroots education and grassroots organizations to integrate education into their programming.