A recent study is showing that children of "well-educated" parents are more likely to survive childhood. Since it is not a pleasant thought, not many take a moment to realize that not all children make it out of childhood, and this is especially true for children who do not live in countries considered “richer” and “more developed.” However, children in the US and all over the world do not survive some circumstances. Since this is something we would all like to see come to an end, studies are constantly being done to see what gives some children an advantage over others and what kind of systems can be put in place to encourage survival.
According to Study Finds, a study was done that found that the more education a child’s parent had, the more likely they would be to survive childhood. The study was done by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and it can be read in full here.
Researchers may have been prompted to complete this study because there are roughly 15,000 children who pass away every single day due to preventable causes, and their study showed some interesting results.
The study showed that children who were born to well-educated parents, in any part of the world, were more likely to survive the first five years of their life. They state that this is important for the world, as it shows that children’s education needs to be made a top priority to stop this generational gap and change the world for future children.
The research indicated that this may be more important for young girls, as the mother’s education seemed to matter more than the father's education. They determined that one extra year of education for the mother is linked to a 3% reduction in mortality on an average level.
While it is not as influenced as the mother's, a father’s education matters too. This was the first study done to look at the father's education level when compared to the chance their children survive childhood.
In contrast with mothers, for every extra year of education for fathers, their child’s risk of mortality drops by 1.6%. As a child grows older, their parents’ education matters more, as their brain is rapidly learning and absorbing information.
This study has called for more work to be put into education and ensuring that boys and girls have all the available opportunities to continue to learn and grow.
Sources: Study Finds, The Lancet