ArticleJournal of epidemiology and community health2019
Long-term effects of compulsory schooling on physical, mental and cognitive ageing: a natural experiment.
Article in Journal of epidemiology and community health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Cognitive impairments associated with chemotherapy in women with breast cancer: a meta-analysis and meta-regression.Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologica · 2023Pooled it
- The impact of cash transfers on mental health in children and young people in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ global health · 2021Pooled it
- CONSTANCES, the French nationwide population cohort: major accomplishments.European journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Does additional education affect memory consistently? An analysis of compulsory schooling reforms across Europe and U.S.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2026Article
- Harmonizing measures of cross-country policies for aging research: applications to education, pension, and long-term care systems.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2026Article
- Anxiety and depression among reproductive-aged women in Bangladesh: burden, determinants, and care-seeking practices based on a nationally representative demographic and health survey.Archives of women's mental health · 2025Article
- Article
- Reevaluating the role of education on cognitive decline and brain aging in longitudinal cohorts across 33 Western countries.Nature medicine · 2025Article
- Does Schooling Improve Cognitive Abilities at Older Ages? Causal Evidence From Nonparametric Bounds.Demography · 2025Article
- Reevaluating the Role of Education in Cognitive Decline and Brain Aging: Insights from Large-Scale Longitudinal Cohorts across 33 Countries.Research square · 2025Article
- Reevaluating the Role of Education in Cognitive Decline and Brain Aging: Insights from Large-Scale Longitudinal Cohorts across 33 Countries.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Modifiable dementia risk factors associated with objective and subjective cognition.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2024Article
- Educational Attainment and Later-Life Cognitive Function in High- and Middle-Income Countries: Evidence From the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2024Article
- Article
- Adult Child Schooling and Older Parents' Cognitive Outcomes in the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE): A Quasi-Experimental Study.American journal of epidemiology · 2022Article
- Mental health effects of education.Health economics · 2022Article
- Response to "Upping the dose of dementia risk reduction".Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2022Article
- Socioeconomic inequalities in dementia risk among a French population-based cohort: quantifying the role of cardiovascular health and vascular events.European journal of epidemiology · 2021Article
- Education and Cognitive Functioning Across the Life Span.Psychological science in the public interest : a journal of the American Psychological Society · 2020Review
- Special Report: The Biology of Inequalities in Health: The Lifepath Consortium.Frontiers in public health · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundLonger schooling is associated with better physical, mental and cognitive functioning, but there is controversy as to whether these associations are causal. We examine the long-term health impact of a policy that increased compulsory schooling by 2 years in France for cohorts born on or after January 1953, offering a natural experiment.
methodsData came from Constances, a randomly selected cohort of the French population assessed for cognition, depressive symptoms and physical functioning at ages 45 and older (n=18 929). We use a Regression Discontinuity Design to estimate the impact of increased schooling duration on health. Cognition was measured based on five validated neuropsychological tests and combined into an overall score. The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale was used to assess depressive symptoms levels. Physical functioning was included as finger tapping, hand grip strength and walking speed.
resultsThe reform increased average schooling, particularly among participants from disadvantaged families. Estimates suggest that for men, this reform improved cognitive scores (β=0.15, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.27), but had no impact on physical functioning. Among women, the reform did not increase cognitive scores or physical functioning but led to higher levels of depressive symptoms (β=1.52, 95% CI 0.32 to 2.72). Results were robust to a range of sensitivity analyses.
conclusionThese findings highlight the need to carefully consider the potential limits of policies that increase the length of compulsory schooling as strategies to improve population health.
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