Challenging the Education Gradient of Health: the Case of the GED Recipients

Large body of health literature has extensively reported the linearly aligned education gradient supporting thick theoretical building on the education gradient that has become one of few established facts. In this draft, we attempt to describe apparently contradictory empirical observations to the gradient argument: the recipients of the General Educational Development (GED) certificate. The NHIS data show that GED recipients enjoyed no advantage in the global health status measured by self-reported health over high school dropouts, which do not appear support the widely accepted education gradient. More rigorous analyses using the Add Health indicated that GED recipients who took GED credentials approximately seven years after high school enjoyed health benefits compared to high school dropouts but these benefits watered down six years later. GED credentials by 13 years after high school, however, did not make any distinguishable health differentials. We argue that these observations are related to psychological distress due to low socioeconomic status GED recipients went through in labor market.