Inequalities In Early Childhood Education

Education is a crucial determinant of health status because it is inextricably linked with the social factors of employment, income, working conditions, food security, and housing. A good education is necessary to obtain a secure and well-paying job. This, in turn, influences the type of community the individual resides in, the quality of housing, access to higher education, the ability to purchase nutritious food, the capacity to participate in activities, and the quality of early childhood (WHO, 2013). In general, people with higher education tend to be healthier than those with lower educational attainment because education helps people move up the socioeconomic ladder which provides better access to other societal and economic resources. …show more content…
A person’s socio-economic status is heavily dependent on their position in the labour market, which is influenced by their family background and their educational attainment (Graham, 2007). Educational inequalities play a dominant role in maintaining health inequalities across generations. Therefore, many argue that early childhood education is critical because it sets the stage for later success in school and all other aspects of life. Later on, an adolescent’s level of educational attainment becomes associated with risk behaviours for health, which include tobacco consumption, drug/alcohol use, lack of physical activity, risky sexual encounters, and poor nutritional practices. These risk factors account for 70% of the morbidity and mortality experienced by youth (WHO, 2013). However, school-based programs and health interventions can be utilized to lower the occurrence of those risk factors and thus help to reduce youth mortality and morbidity. It is vital to recognize that access to early and secondary education is influenced by family background, such as family income and the home environment. A large proportion of high-income societies have seen a significant expansion of post-secondary education completion. This expansion has lead to an increase in chances for youth to gain secure and well-paying occupations based on their higher- education qualifications (Graham, 2007). Overall, individuals with more years of schooling tend to have better health and well-being in adulthood. This is primarily because educational attainment influences class destination, and helps provide a socio-economic advantage later in life. Therefore, doing well at school and pursuing secondary education provides a ladder up the class structure and lowers the rates of mortality and morbidity (Graham,