Measuring Impact of Education and Socio-economic Factors on Health for Pakistan

Education affects health not because of the knowledge and practices one can learn at school, but rather it shapes individuals life and can alter the characteristics of an individual to be healthier. Measurement of health is an abstract concept and health itself is affected by a number of factors. This study aims at exploring whether there is any relation in education, gender, and health for Pakistan. Exploratory data analysis and ordinal logistic regression are used here to assess relationship between health, education and other socio-economic factors. It is evident that individuals with higher education level tend to have better health status than a person with lower levels of education. There is also evidence of gender being an important determinant of health in Pakistan. The variation in health status of individuals is studied with reference to gender, culture, occupations, and social economic status. This study provides a useful piece of information for the policy-makers in health and education sectors. The data used in this study was collected by Pakistan and Medical Research Council under National Health Survey of Pakistan [NHSP (1990-1994)].