Working Paper: NBER ID: w26685
Authors: Benjamin W. Cowan; Nathan Tefft
Abstract: We investigate the relationship between college openings, college attainment, and health behaviors and outcomes later in life. Though a large prior literature attempts to isolate the causal effect of education on health via instrumental variables (IV), most studies use instruments that affect schooling behavior in childhood or adolescence, i.e. before the college enrollment decision. Our paper examines whether an increase in 2 and 4-year institutions per capita (“college accessibility”) in a state contributes to higher college attainment and better health later in life. Using 1980-2015 Census and American Community Survey data, we find consistent evidence that accessibility of public 2-year institutions positively affects schooling attainment and subsequent employment and earnings levels among whites but not among people of color. We then examine how public 2-year accessibility affects twenty health behaviors and outcomes in adulthood by employing restricted-use 1984-2015 National Health Interview Survey data. Only self-reported health is significantly affected by college accessibility among all (white) individuals. Among older men, however, college accessibility has a protective effect on several additional outcomes, including smoking behavior, exercise, the probability of a stroke or heart attack, and mortality.
Keywords: college access; adult health; education; health behaviors; outcomes
JEL Codes: I12; I23; I26
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Increase in the number of public 2-year colleges per capita in a state (I23) | Increase in years of formal schooling (I21) |
| Increase in the number of public 2-year colleges per capita in a state (I23) | Reduction in high school dropouts (I21) |
| Increase in the number of public 2-year colleges per capita in a state (I23) | Increase in college attendance (I23) |
| Public 2-year college accessibility (I23) | Positive effect on self-reported health among whites (I14) |
| Public 2-year college accessibility (I23) | Decrease in likelihood of stroke for older white men (J26) |
| Public 2-year college accessibility (I23) | Decrease in likelihood of heart attack for older white men (I12) |
| Public 2-year college accessibility (I23) | Decrease in mortality risk for older white men (J26) |