"If you look in recent decades, you will find that life expectancy has been increasing, which is good, but when you split this out by better-educated groups, the life expectancy gained is really occurring much more so in the better-educated groups," said Ellen R. Meara, an assistant professor of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School.
There are several reasons for this difference. One reason can be attributed to tobacco. More less-educated people are acquiring smoking-related diseases like lung cancer and emphysema. Another reason is income.
"Those with less education are likely to have lower income. They're likely to live in areas that have their own health threats, either through crime or poor housing conditions. In addition, they may have worse access to health insurance coverage and health services," said Meara.
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