Working Paper: NBER ID: w23803
Authors: Zhuang Hao; Benjamin W. Cowan
Abstract: Previous studies have shown that years of formal schooling attained affects health behaviors, but little is known about how the stringency of academic programs affects such behaviors, especially among youth. Using national survey data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS), we study the effects of mathematics and science high-school graduation requirements (HSGR) on high school students’ risky health behaviors--specifically on drinking, smoking, and marijuana use. We find that an increase in mathematics and science HSGR has significant negative impacts on alcohol consumption among high-school students, especially males and non-white students. The effects of math and science HSGR on smoking and marijuana use are also negative but generally less precisely estimated. Our results suggest that curriculum design may have potential as a policy tool to curb youth drinking.
Keywords: high school graduation requirements; risky health behaviors; youth; alcohol consumption; smoking; marijuana use
JEL Codes: I12; I24; I26
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| High School Graduation Requirements (HSGR) (I28) | Alcohol Consumption (L66) |
| High School Graduation Requirements (HSGR) (I28) | Smoking (L66) |
| High School Graduation Requirements (HSGR) (I28) | Marijuana Use (I12) |