The associations between an “elite” education and health benefits at age 42 were still strong even when taking into account family socioeconomic background, childhood health and cognitive ability.
The findings are from researchers at the Centre of Longitudinal Studies at the UCL Institute of Education. They analysed information on more than 8,400 men and women born in England, Scotland and Wales in 1970 and compared their health at age 42 with the type of secondary school they attended.
The 42-year-olds who had attended comprehensive schools had body mass indexes, on average, 1.8 points higher than those who were privately educated. Private school pupils also watched less television and ate fewer takeaway meals – activities that can be associated with poorer health.
The study suggests that private school resources in terms of extra-curricular opportunities, as well as the higher incomes of its alumni, could be behind the findings.
Dr David Bann, the study’s lead author, said: “There are a number of possible explanations for our findings. For example, private schools often have more resources to put into extra-curricular activities than the state sector.
“This may help pupils develop healthy habits that benefit them later in life. Private education is also linked to higher adult earnings, which could be used to cover the costs of a healthy diet and exercise.
“Our findings should be interpreted carefully as they do not prove that the school environment itself caused differences in adult health.
“However, given continued concerns about school funding and the selling-off of state school playing fields, our research suggests there might be long-term health benefits of improving recreational as well as academic opportunities for pupils.
“To reduce health inequalities among future generations, policy-makers will likely need to address inequalities in our education system.”
The research has been published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.