How education is a pathway to better health literacy

Published October 2024 | 5 min read
Expert contributor Dr Louisa Peralta, associate professor of health and physical education at The University of Sydney
Words by Angela Tufvesson

Education is a powerful tool for improving health and wellbeing. Studies show that more time at school and university can boost health literacy, which helps us make informed decisions about our health.

Growing up, Palvisha Farooq moved house a lot and went to a few different schools. Her mum was a single parent who had moved the family of six to Australia when Palvisha was a baby. Despite enjoying school, Palvisha says she soon began to notice a gap between the opportunities she could access and those of her peers.

“I wouldn’t go on school camp or excursions, and wouldn’t have all the same devices others did,” she says.

Palvisha first connected with The Smith Family, a leading Australian children’s education charity, in Year 3. She received a Learning for Life scholarship, which provided financial aid, access to tutoring and learning programs, and support to attend university.

The 20-year-old Sydneysider is now studying a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Education (Secondary) at Macquarie University. “From a young age I have always wanted to be a teacher,” Palvisha says.

Palvisha’s education at school and university has not only prepared her for her future career, it also enhances her overall health and wellbeing. “It has taught me the importance of balance and looking after myself,” she says.

To help more young people like Palvisha, and to improve educational outcomes, boost health literacy and build healthier communities across Australia, HCF has partnered with The Smith Family. A three-year partnership will support 1,500 students through the Learning for Life sponsorship program, joining the 63,000 Australian students already benefitting from the initiative.

The Learning for Life sponsorship program provides financial, learning and personal support to students experiencing disadvantage. Starting in early childhood the ongoing support includes access to essential educational resources and targeted learning programs to keep students motivated throughout their schooling.

In 2022 to 2023, the proportion of first-year Learning for Life tertiary students who continued into their second year at university was 88.1%, and the proportion of students who completed a tertiary qualification within four years was 52.9%. In 2022, 85% of Learning for Life students who had been in Year 12 in 2020 transitioned successfully from school to further education, training or employment.

Understanding social factors of your health

Research shows education is associated with living healthier and longer. Higher levels of education can lead to greater ‘health literacy’ – that's how we access, understand and use health information to benefit our health.

Developing health literacy is especially important for children, who are learning habits and behaviours that'll influence their health for years to come.

The conditions in which we're born, grow, live, learn, work and age are closely linked with our health. These non-medical factors include socioeconomic status, housing, early childhood development, working conditions, social inclusion and, crucially, educational attainment. Together, they’re known as ‘social determinants of health’.

According to the World Health Organisation, social determinants can be more important than healthcare or lifestyle choices in influencing health, accounting for between 30 to 55% of health outcomes. In Australia, as in all countries, data suggests that the lower the socioeconomic position a person has in society, the worse the person’s overall health and wellbeing will be.

Education builds better health outcomes

People who have access to education throughout their lives tend to stay healthier than people who don’t. One 2024 study published in The Lancet confirms the importance of schooling length in reducing adult mortality. It found that the risk of death drops by 2% with every additional year of education – which equates to a 25% reduced risk after finishing secondary school.

Another large study on how education influences health looked at 26 countries. It found tertiary education has a critical influence on health in terms of infant mortality, life expectancy and childhood vaccination rates.

Dr Louisa Peralta, associate professor of health and physical education at The University of Sydney, says education can teach critical-thinking skills that help us analyse and evaluate health information, which builds health literacy and “encourages positive actions” that support better health.

“These critical-thinking skills tend to be stronger when they’re accrued over a number of years of formal schooling and other education opportunities post-schooling,” she says.

Health literacy in action

Becoming health literate through education is more than just being able to understand medical language.

“Sometimes when we think about health literacy, we limit it to just the health field and medicine – when I go to the doctor or the hospital,” Dr Peralta says. “But it's actually much more than that.”

It’s also about having critical thinking skills and the confidence to ask questions about your health and make sure you understand the answers, says Dr Peralta. It’s knowing how to find evidence-based resources for different conditions and read a nutrition information panel at the supermarket so you can choose the healthiest option. Perhaps most importantly, she says, it’s being able to make choices about your health by analysing risks versus benefits.

Families with high health literacy are also in a better position to help their children become health literate, who can then go on to help their children when they become parents.

“This is where generational health literacy comes into play,” Dr Peralta says. “It’s about talking through decisions and what that means for families and for their children, then being able to reflect on that and make more informed decisions next time around.”

Levelling the playing field with education

An estimated 56% of Australians have low health literacy. Persistent inequities mean some groups of people are more affected than others. People from migrant and refugee backgrounds, First Nations Australians and people living in rural areas are more likely to have low health literacy.

With cost-of-living pressures affecting families across the country, widening wealth inequality (including affordable access to secure housing and healthy food) may fuel gaps in education and health literacy. And then there’s the need to keep up with the health-related misinformation and disinformation that’s increasingly prevalent online.

“A growing number of adolescents access social media to get health information, but there’s no regulatory body sifting through what’s appropriate information and what may be misinformation,” Dr Peralta says.

Palvisha says the opportunities she received through the Learning for Life program have had a lasting impact on her education – and her future health and wellbeing.

“I got access to lots of tutoring and learning programs in primary school, which helped me focus on my learning and helped me better myself. In high school I received a tertiary coordinator who checked in on me every month. I also received amazing opportunities like a cadetship to a career program, which allowed me to intern at a bank,” she says.

“Once I graduate, I want to be a high school business teacher. Without the education I have received, I would not be able to become a teacher and do what I’ve always wanted to do.”

We’re here to support the community

As Australia’s largest not-for-profit health fund, HCF has a social mission to build healthier communities by helping to address important social issues, impacting health outcomes. We’ve partnered with a range of organisations that support Australians throughout their health journey, including The Smith Family, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Netball Australia and the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. Find out more.