Does education induce healthy lifestyle?

Abstract

We investigate whether education induces individuals to have healthy lifestyle. To test for causality we instrument education by high school availability and birth order using data of Korean men; to account for correlations among health behaviors, we estimate a quadvariate probit model using simulated MLE. Our results indicate that an increase in education induces individuals to exercise regularly, and to get regular health checkups. We find, however, that education has little effect on smoking or drinking. We also discover that unobserved determinants of health behaviors are correlated, especially between smoking and drinking, and between exercising and getting health checkups. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.