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Lower Education Levels of Elderly Increase Rates for
Death, Disability
New study shows slower recovery after
hospitalization, too
Nov.2, 2004 - Elderly Americans with low education
levels are more likely to die from serious illness, suffer disabilities
and experience a lesser quality of life than their better educated
senior citizens, according to a report in the current American Journal
of Medicine. They also recover more slowly from hospitalization.
The reasons for poor health among these persons may
have to do with higher levels of hostility and hopelessness and being
ill equipped to maintain health, say Yale researchers who wrote the
report.
The level of education completed, a marker of
socioeconomic status, is known to be associated with poor health. Low
education level can significantly impair functional recovery in older
adults after a hospital stay is additional evidence of the association
between education levels and health of older Americans.
"The effect of educational level on recovery from
illness has not previously been well-examined," said first author Sarwat
I. Chaudhry, M.D., postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Internal
Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. "Older adults have less physical
and psychological reserve to recover, so it is especially important for
clinicians to consider level of education and other markers of
socioeconomic status as factors influencing successful recovery when
caring for older, hospitalized patients."
Chaudhry and colleagues followed 862 patients age
70 or older for six months after hospitalization. The patients were
divided into either a low education group (less than a high school
education), or a high education group (high school diploma and higher).
Overall, 41 percent experienced poor functional recovery, 124 died, and
227 experienced declines in activities of daily living. In the low
education group, 17 percent died as compared to 12 percent in the high
education group.
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