Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40860545›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2025

Learning well, living well: the causal effects of higher education on self-rated health and mental health in China.

Shudong Yang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author.

Shudong YangParty Committee Office, Southeast University, Nanjing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: In the context of rapid population aging and the global health challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding the social determinants of health has become increasingly important. Education, as a key socioeconomic factor, plays a critical role in shaping individual health outcomes. However, empirical evidence on the causal relationship between higher education (HE) and health, particularly in developing countries like China, remains limited. Methods: Utilizing data from the 2022 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study primarily employed Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression to estimate the effects of HE on self-rated health (SRH) and mental health (MH). To address potential endogeneity and strengthen causal inference, an instrumental variable (IV) approach was implemented. Robustness tests included substituting explanatory variables, excluding specific samples, and employing an ordered Probit model. Mechanism analysis explored the roles of health behaviors, household income, and social capital. Intergenerational effects of parental HE on children's health were also examined. Results: Higher education was found to have a statistically significant positive impact on both SRH and MH ( Conclusion: This study provides robust evidence that higher education serves as a crucial determinant of health in China, with beneficial effects extending across generations. The findings highlight the potential of educational interventions as a strategic avenue for improving public health and reducing health disparities.

Indexed as

Educational StatusHealth StatusMental HealthAdolescentAdultChinaCOVID-19FemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSelf ReportSocial Determinants of HealthSocioeconomic FactorsChinaeducationmental healthpublic healthself-rated health

Identifiers

PMID40860545
PMCPMC12375672

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.