When it comes to providing opportunities for social and economic mobility, Northern Virginia is a region of stark contrasts, with communities of great affluence virtually adjacent to highly disadvantaged neighborhoods where residents struggle to get ahead. A new report by the Center on Society and Health, commissioned by the Northern Virginia Health Foundation (NVHF), found…
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Category: Education
We all know that a good education is important, but how can our education impact our health? Education creates opportunities for better health through a variety of avenues. It can lead to better jobs, higher earnings, and the ability to access and afford resources necessary for good health. In turn, those with more education often…
In a new report released today, the Center on Society and Health and the Urban Institute provide detailed information on how states differ on measures of longevity, and how those measures of longevity are connected to dozens of potential drivers of health. For example, life expectancy varies more than 6 years across the states, from…
In a new report, released today, the Center on Society and Health and the Urban Institute show how states rank on dozens of health outcomes, highlighting where they are doing well and areas in which they need improvement. Perhaps most importantly, the data also provide detailed information about more than 100 potential drivers of these…
In a recent blog article featured on Urban Wire, Urban Institute author Laudy Aron comments on the relationship between place and disadvantage and the effects on health outcomes. She outlines several policy steps that are needed to ensure that all Americans have access to support and resources they need to live “healthy, productive, and fulfilling…
On January 6, 2016, Dr. Steven Woolf gave a presentation on “What Shapes Health (and Health Inequities)” at the Institute of Medicine Committee on Community Based Solutions to Promote Health meeting in Washington, D.C. The committee was convened at the request of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to examine the evidence on solutions to promote…
Can we spend less on health by investing in education? Americans without a high school diploma are living sicker, shorter lives than they did in the 1990s, and spending on programs like Medicare and Medicaid is expected to steadily rise each year over the next decade. A new set of policy briefs released today explores…
Quality health care is necessary to improve the health of disadvantaged populations – but it is not enough to eliminate the adverse effects of limited education, says a new policy brief. Released last week by the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Center on Society and Health, the brief features new Kaiser Permanente data and is supported…
In a new blog post, Center director Dr. Steve Woolf describes the environmental factors that influence the complex relationship between education and health. Not only do school, home, and neighborhood conditions affect a child’s learning opportunities and ability to perform in class, but poor health resulting from an unhealthy environment can also interfere with education….
The links between education and health are complex, and tied closely to income and to the opportunities people have to lead healthy lives in their communities says a new policy brief and video released today by the VCU Center on Society and Health, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The brief and video…