School-based health services and educational attainment

School-based health centers provide students with comprehensive, convenient primary health care, and some evidence indicates that they also contribute to academic achievement among adolescents.
However, very little research has investigated possible long-term effects of specific types of school-based health services (SBHS) on educational attainment in adulthood.

A new article from the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation examines relationships between availability and use of school-based health centers among adolescents and educational attainment in adulthood.

Source: Paschall, Mallie J., Melina Bersamin, Laura J. Finan, and Lei Zhang (2019). "School-based health services and educational attainment: Findings from a national longitudinal study." Preventive Medicine, 121, 74-78.

Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health were analyzed to assess relationships among different types of SBHS provided by schools, such as immunizations, physical exams, family planning counseling, and emotional counseling, and use of SBHS among adolescents in 1995, and educational attainment in young adulthood (2001?02) and later adulthood (2008).

The results show that, at the school level, providing immunizations in 1995 was associated with higher educational attainment in 2001-02 and 2008. Providing physical exams and physical fitness/recreation centers also were marginally associated with higher educational attainment in 2001-02 and 2008, respectively.

At the individual level, receiving a physical exam at school in 1995 was associated with higher educational attainment in 2001-02, and receiving emotional counseling at school was inversely associated with educational attainment in 2008.

None of the other types of SBHS at the school or individual level were associated with later educational attainment.

This study suggests that preventive SBHS such as immunizations, physical exams and physical fitness/recreation centers may contribute to academic achievement and higher educational attainment during young and later adulthood.

Says Dr. Paschall: "Although this study suggests that school-based health services may contribute to higher educational attainment, more research is needed to better understand the underlying mechanisms, and the extent to which school-based health services may help reduce disparities in adolescent health and academic achievement."