Examining the relationship between education and personal control over health: a mediation analysis

Abstract

The authoritative and dominant structural systems within the United States have made health equality challenging to achieve. The Health Belief Model suggests that health outcomes are related to individuals' beliefs regarding their perceptions of health, with an imperative perception being the sense of control over health someone has. I use Human Capital Theory as a guiding framework to explain how education relates to a person’s sense of control over their health. Educational attainment is a leading factor in producing a higher sense of control. This relationship between educational attainment and sense of control may be mediated by factors produced indirectly by educational attainment, such as access to quality healthcare, and factors that may change the sense of control someone has, such as days missed from work/daily activities due to health-related issues. For this research, I use data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresher (2011-2014). Using OLS regression models and the product of the coefficients approach, I find that access to quality healthcare mediates the relationship between educational attainment and a sense of control over health. In addition to this, days missed from work/daily activities only mediates this same relationship for those with a bachelor's degree. Suggestions for policy and practice are discussed in light of these findings.