Mechanisms linking teenage mothers’ educational attainment with self-reported health at age 50
Abstract Background Early childbearing is associated with adverse health and well-being throughout the life course for women in the United States. As education continues to be a modifiable social determinant of health after a young woman gives birth, the association of increased educational attainme...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Women's Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-020-01150-y |
| _version_ | 1818331384086790144 |
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| author | Julie Maslowsky C. Emily Hendrick Haley Stritzel |
| author_facet | Julie Maslowsky C. Emily Hendrick Haley Stritzel |
| author_sort | Julie Maslowsky |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Early childbearing is associated with adverse health and well-being throughout the life course for women in the United States. As education continues to be a modifiable social determinant of health after a young woman gives birth, the association of increased educational attainment with long-term health for women who begin childbearing as teenagers is worthy of investigation. Methods Data are from 301 mothers in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 who gave birth prior to age 19. We estimated path models to assess women’s incomes, partner characteristics, and health behaviors at age 40 as mediators of the relationship between their educational attainment and self-rated general health at age 50. Results After accounting for observed background factors that select women into early childbearing and lower educational attainment, higher levels of education (high school diploma and GED attainment vs. no degree) were indirectly associated with higher self-rated health at age 50 via higher participant income at age 40. Conclusions As education is a social determinant of health that is amenable to intervention after a teen gives birth, our results are supportive of higher educational attainment as a potential pathway to improving long-term health outcomes of women who begin childbearing early. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T13:18:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0faaa106849e4135a15d1038314d471c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6874 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T13:18:59Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Women's Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-0faaa106849e4135a15d1038314d471c2022-12-21T23:44:26ZengBMCBMC Women's Health1472-68742021-01-012111910.1186/s12905-020-01150-yMechanisms linking teenage mothers’ educational attainment with self-reported health at age 50Julie Maslowsky0C. Emily Hendrick1Haley Stritzel2Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, University of Texas at AustinSchool of Community Health Sciences, University of Nevada RenoPopulation Research Center, University of Texas at AustinAbstract Background Early childbearing is associated with adverse health and well-being throughout the life course for women in the United States. As education continues to be a modifiable social determinant of health after a young woman gives birth, the association of increased educational attainment with long-term health for women who begin childbearing as teenagers is worthy of investigation. Methods Data are from 301 mothers in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 who gave birth prior to age 19. We estimated path models to assess women’s incomes, partner characteristics, and health behaviors at age 40 as mediators of the relationship between their educational attainment and self-rated general health at age 50. Results After accounting for observed background factors that select women into early childbearing and lower educational attainment, higher levels of education (high school diploma and GED attainment vs. no degree) were indirectly associated with higher self-rated health at age 50 via higher participant income at age 40. Conclusions As education is a social determinant of health that is amenable to intervention after a teen gives birth, our results are supportive of higher educational attainment as a potential pathway to improving long-term health outcomes of women who begin childbearing early.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-020-01150-yTeenage childbearingEducational attainmentSelf-reported healthLife course theory |
| spellingShingle | Julie Maslowsky C. Emily Hendrick Haley Stritzel Mechanisms linking teenage mothers’ educational attainment with self-reported health at age 50 BMC Women's Health Teenage childbearing Educational attainment Self-reported health Life course theory |
| title | Mechanisms linking teenage mothers’ educational attainment with self-reported health at age 50 |
| title_full | Mechanisms linking teenage mothers’ educational attainment with self-reported health at age 50 |
| title_fullStr | Mechanisms linking teenage mothers’ educational attainment with self-reported health at age 50 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mechanisms linking teenage mothers’ educational attainment with self-reported health at age 50 |
| title_short | Mechanisms linking teenage mothers’ educational attainment with self-reported health at age 50 |
| title_sort | mechanisms linking teenage mothers educational attainment with self reported health at age 50 |
| topic | Teenage childbearing Educational attainment Self-reported health Life course theory |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-020-01150-y |
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