| Demographic Group: | Resident persons aged 18–24 years. |
| Numerator: | Respondents aged 18–24 years who have completed 4 years of high school (i.e., completed high school). |
| Denominator: | Respondents aged 18–24 years for the same calendar year. |
| Measures of Frequency: | Annual prevalence with 95% confidence interval. |
| Time Period of Case Definition: | Calendar year. |
| Background: | In 1998, approximately 12% of adults aged 18–24 years did not graduate from high school. |
| Significance: | Socioeconomic conditions (e.g., low level of education) are associated with poor health status and morbidity from chronic disease, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung disease. Low educational attainment among young adults is strongly associated with low income and poor health status. The level of a person’s education is modifiable. |
| Limitations of Indicator: | Estimate is based on self-report. High school education might be completed after age 24. |
| Data Resources: | Current Population Survey.
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_submenuId=people_7&_lang=en&_ts= |
| Limitations of Data Resources: | As with all self-reported sample surveys, Current Population Survey data might be subject to systematic error resulting from noncoverage (e.g., residence in a noneligible household), nonresponse (e.g., refusal to participate in the survey or to answer specific questions), or measurement (e.g., social desirability or recall bias). |
| Healthy People 2010 Objectives: | 7-1: Increase high school completion. |
