Education

Several approaches to defining educational categories are used at NCHS. In survey data, educational categories are based on information about educational credentials, such as diplomas and degrees. In vital statistics, educational attainment is based on years of school completed.

Birth File--Information on educational attainment of mother is based on number of years of school completed, as reported by the mother on the birth certificate. Between 1970 and 1992 the reporting area for maternal education expanded.

Mother's education was reported on the birth certificate by 38 States in 1970. Data were not available from  Alabama, Arkansas, California, Connecticut,  Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Maryland, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington. In 1975 these data became available from four additional States, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, increasing the number of States reporting mother's education to 42 and the District of Columbia. Between 1980 and 1988 only three States, California, Texas, and Washington, did not report mother's education. In 1988 mother's education was also missing from New York State outside New York City. In 1989-91 mother's education was missing only from  Washington and New York State outside New York City. Starting in 1992 mother's education was reported by all 50 States and the District of Columbia.

Mortality File--Information on educational attainment of decedent became available for the first time in 1989 due to revision of the U.S. Standard Certificate of Death. Decedent's educational attainment is reported on the death certificate by the funeral director based on information provided by an informant such as next of kin. Mortality data by educational attainment for 1989 were based on data from 20 States and by 1994-96 increased to 45 States and the District of Columbia. In 1994-96 the following States either did not report educational attainment on the death certificate or the information was more than 20 percent incomplete: Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and South Dakota. In 1997-2000 information on decedent's education was available from Oklahoma, increasing the reporting area to 46 States and the District of Columbia (DC). With the addition of Kentucky, the reporting area increased to 47 States and DC in 2001 and 2002.

Calculation of unbiased death rates by educational attainment based on the National Vital Statistics System requires that the reporting of education on the death certificate be complete and consistent with the reporting of education on the Current Population Survey, the source of population estimates for denominators for death rates. Death records that are missing information about decedent's education are not included in the calculation of rates. Therefore the levels of death rates by educational attainment shown in this report are underestimated by approximately the percent with not stated education, which ranges from 3 to 9 percent.

The validity of information about the decedent's education was evaluated by comparing self-reported education obtained in the Current Population Survey with education on the death certificate for decedents in the National Longitudinal Mortality Survey (NLMS). (Sorlie PD, Johnson NJ: Validity of education information on the death certificate, Epidemiology 7(4):437-9, 1996.) Another analysis compared self-reported education collected in the first National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) with education on the death certificate for decedents in the NHANES I Epidemiologic Followup Study. (Makuc DM, Feldman JJ, Mussolino ME: Validity of education and age as reported on death certificates, American Statistical Association. 1996 Proceedings of the Social Statistics Section, 102-6, 1997.) Results of both studies indicated that there is a tendency for some people who did not graduate from high school to be reported as high school graduates on the death certificate. This tendency results in overstating the death rate for high school graduates and understating the death rate for the group with less than 12 years of education. The bias was greater among older than younger decedents and somewhat greater among black than white decedents.

In addition, educational gradients in death rates based on the National Vital Statistics System were compared with those based on the NLMS, a prospective study of persons in the Current Population Survey. Results of these comparisons indicate that educational gradients in death rates based on the National Vital Statistics System were reasonably similar to those based on NLMS for white persons 25-64 years of age and black persons 25-44 years of age. The number of deaths for persons of Hispanic origin in NLMS was too small to permit comparison for this ethnic group. For further information on measurement of education, see: Kominski R and Siegel PM. Measuring education in the Current Population Survey. Monthly Labor Review, September 1993: 34-38.

National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)--Beginning in 1997 the NHIS questionnaire was changed to ask "What is the highest level of school ___ has completed or the highest degree received?" Responses were used to categorize individuals according to educational credentials (for example, no high school diploma or general educational development (GED) high school equivalency diploma; high school diploma or GED; some college, no bachelor's degree; bachelor's degree or higher).

Prior to 1997 the education variable in NHIS was measured by asking, "What is the highest grade or year of regular school ___ has ever attended?" and "Did ___ finish the grade/year?" Responses were used to categorize individuals according to years of education completed (for example, less than 12 years, 12 years, 13-15 years, and 16 or more years).

Data from the 1996 and 1997 NHIS were used to compare distributions of educational attainment for adults 25 years of age and over using categories based on educational credentials (1997) with categories based on years of education completed (1996). A larger percent of persons reported "some college" than "13-15 years" of education and a correspondingly smaller percent reported "high school diploma or GED" than "12 years of education." In 1997, 19 percent of adults reported no high school diploma, 31 percent a high school diploma or GED, 26 percent some college, and 24 percent a bachelor's degree or higher. In 1996, 18 percent of adults reported less than 12 years of education, 37 percent 12 years of education, 20 percent 13-15 years, and 25 percent 16 or more years of education.

SOURCE: Health, United States

This page last reviewed January 11, 2007