Anton Lager|Jenny Torssander
Causal effect of education on mortality in a quasi-experiment on 1.2 million Swedes
Centre for Health Equity Studies|Karolinska Institutet|Stockholm University|Swedish Institute|Stockholm University
19491962 sweden implemented 1y increase compulsory schooling quasiexperiment year children number municipalities exposed reform others kept controls allowing us test hypothesis education causally related mortality studied children born 1943 1955 900 swedish municipalities control birthcohort area differences primary outcome measures allcause causespecific mortality end 2007 analyses include 1247867 individuals 92351 died found lower allcause mortality risk experimental group age 40 hazard ratio hr 096 95 confidence interval ci 093099 hr 103 95 ci 098107 whole followup hr 098 95 ci 095101 age 40 experimental group lower mortality overall cancer lung cancer accidents addition exposed women lower mortality ischemic heart disease exposed men lower mortality overall external causes analyses stratified final educational level found lower mortality experimental group within strata settled compulsory schooling hr 094 95 ci 089099 compulsory schooling plus vocational training hr 092 95 ci 088097 thus experimental group lower mortality causes known related education lower mortality experimental group also found among least educated group clearly benefited reform terms educational length however estimates small evident impact reform allcause mortality ages