We all remember our High School years. Most of us were pressured to get good grades so that we could get a good job, get into a good college, and generally succeed in life. However, according to this article by TIME Magazine indicates that those who do well in High School generally have higher levels of health than the rest of their graduating class. TIME has been tracking the health progression of Wisconsin's class of 1957 for over 50 years now, and are getting ready for their 7th check up on their health. The results indicated that students who routinely got A's in their classes are significantly more likely to indicate that they are in good or very good health. No one can pinpoint an exact reason for this, but there are several theories, the most common one being that those who have the self discipline to study and achieve good grades employ that for the rest of their lives, making responsible, healthy decisions and exercising regularly.
Will this trend prove true for the generations who came after the class of 1957 though? Culture has changed so much through the years, and today we all know that world health is supposedly the lowest it has ever been. Will this impact our generation of scholar-athletes in 60 years? The point remains though; doing well in school is the gateway to doing well in life, not only in the traditional sense of success, but also now in health and fitness.
I think this is a great study. I would have to agree that more educated people are generally healthier. These people have learned the skills to help them make their own decisions about how to take care of ourselves. The huge fast food industry doesn't want us to know how bad their products really are and I think this is a large reason why we don't get as much health education as we should.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Slowik... high achieving students in high school tend to set higher standards for themselves. not only are they dedicated to school work, but I feel that they are more active physically as well intellectually, just as your article stated.
ReplyDeleteThis is an extremely interesting study. I think it is safe to say that people with higher education are probably more likely to be healthier than that of persons who drop out. I also wonder if this will fall true for future generations as well, living styles have changed dramatically from 50 years ago..
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