Effects of Education on Adult Mortality Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Estimates

Researchers at IHME and the Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research (CHAIN) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of education on all-cause adult mortality. Mixed-effects meta-regression models were implemented to address heterogeneity in referent and exposure measures among studies and to adjust for study-level covariates. 17 094 unique records were identified, 603 of which were eligible for analysis and included data from 70 locations in 59 countries, producing a final dataset of 10 355 observations. Education showed a dose–response relationship with all-cause adult mortality, with an average reduction in mortality risk of 1·9% per additional year of education. The effect was greater in younger age groups than in older age groups, and researchers found no differential effect of education on all-cause mortality by sex or sociodemographic index level.