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Author: Humphries, Melissa
Resulting in 5 citations.
1. Carroll, Jamie M.
Humphries, Melissa
Muller, Chandra
Mental and Physical Health Impairments at the Transition to College: Early Patterns in the Education-Health Gradient
Social Science Research 74 (August 2018): 120-131.
Also: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0049089X17305811
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): College Enrollment; Disability; Health, Mental/Psychological; Health/Health Status/SF-12 Scale; High School Completion/Graduates; High School Curriculum

Part of the education-health gradient may be related to inequalities in the transition from high school to college by health impairment status. In this paper, we use the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 to investigate the link between health impairments beginning prior to high school completion and college-going, distinguishing between individuals with mental, physical, or multiple health impairments and between enrollment in 2-year and 4-year postsecondary institutions. We find that individuals with mental impairments or multiple impairments are less likely to go to 4-year postsecondary institutions than individuals without health impairments, controlling on background and high school preparation. We also find evidence that advanced math course-taking in high school, an important step on the pathway to a 4-year college for all students, does not provide students with mental impairments the same return as students without health impairments. We discuss implications for policy to address educational inequalities in health.
Bibliography Citation
Carroll, Jamie M., Melissa Humphries and Chandra Muller. "Mental and Physical Health Impairments at the Transition to College: Early Patterns in the Education-Health Gradient." Social Science Research 74 (August 2018): 120-131.
2. Humphries, Melissa
Beyond Credential: Postsecondary Education and Health in Early Adulthood
Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Texas at Austin, 2015.
Also: https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/31680
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: University of Texas at Austin
Keyword(s): Body Mass Index (BMI); College Characteristics; College Degree; Educational Attainment; Gender Differences; Health/Health Status/SF-12 Scale

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

In this dissertation, I focus more deeply on the postsecondary education process itself through examination of enrollment, attainment and type of institution attended and how these attributes relate to young adult self-rated health. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), I investigate how the postsecondary experience is associated with young adult health. The longitudinal nature of the data also allow for consideration of prior health, SES and educational factors which sharpens the analyses to better highlight the actual association between postsecondary schooling and early adult health. In the first analytic chapter, I find that when time enrolled and degree earned are modeled concurrently, degree attainment retains an independent effect on both self-rated health and work limitations. However, for respondents who enter postsecondary schooling, but do not earn a degree, time enrolled in four-year institutions, but not two-year institutions, is associated with a higher probability of reporting better self-rated health. The second analytic chapter shows that students who attend selective four-year schools have a health advantage to those who enroll in less selective schools. Interestingly, the better health of those in elite colleges is explained by their lower BMIs. The remaining chapter of my dissertation explores how the relationships between education and health differ across gender.
Bibliography Citation
Humphries, Melissa. Beyond Credential: Postsecondary Education and Health in Early Adulthood. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Texas at Austin, 2015..
3. Humphries, Melissa
Exploring the Connection between College Credits and Young Adult Health
Presented: New York NY, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 2013
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: American Sociological Association
Keyword(s): College Education; College Enrollment; Educational Attainment; Health/Health Status/SF-12 Scale

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

The positive correlation between education and health is well documented across time, place and population. Although the actual shape of the association and the degree to which more years of schooling are associated with health do vary, the underlying pattern that these two personal characteristics (education level and personal health) are positively related is solid. What remains to be fully understood are the exact educational mechanisms that link education to health outcomes. The most cited ways to measure individual education is to use highest educational degree or total years of education (Mirowsky and Ross 2003; Ross and Mirowsky 1997), however more detailed information regarding post-secondary experiences may help expand our understanding of the connection between schooling and health. The present and proposed analyses will focus on specific parts of individuals’ educational trajectories, such as college credits and enrollment patterns, and how they are related to young adult health.
Bibliography Citation
Humphries, Melissa. "Exploring the Connection between College Credits and Young Adult Health." Presented: New York NY, American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, August 2013.
4. Humphries, Melissa
Postsecondary Academic Experiences in the Link between Education and Health
Presented: Boston MA, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, May 2014
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): College Education; Education; Grade Point Average (GPA)/Grades; Health/Health Status/SF-12 Scale

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

The positive association between education and health is enduring and well-documented. However, many datasets only collect information on education using years of education completed or highest degree earned, which makes identifying the specific connections between educational experience and health outcomes difficult. This project employs data from the postsecondary transcript study from a longitudinal dataset of young adults (NLSY97) to begin to piece apart what aspects of postsecondary schooling are actually associated with later health outcomes. I use data on the number of postsecondary courses completed, types of courses taken (remedial or academic) and grades earned to analyze how quantity and quality of the postsecondary course-taking experience may predict health outcomes. Preliminary results show that the number of course credits earned in 4-year schools, but not 2-year schools, is positively related to early adult health, controlling on degree earned and a host of prior family, education and health controls.
Bibliography Citation
Humphries, Melissa. "Postsecondary Academic Experiences in the Link between Education and Health." Presented: Boston MA, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, May 2014.
5. Skalamera, Julie
Hummer, Robert A.
Walsemann, Katrina Michelle
Humphries, Melissa
Highest Earned Degree, Education in Years, and Health Behavior among U.S. Young Adults
Presented: Boston MA, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, May 2014
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Body Mass Index (BMI); College Degree; Educational Attainment; Health/Health Status/SF-12 Scale; Smoking (see Cigarette Use); Socioeconomic Status (SES); Substance Use

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Highly educated U.S. adults have better health and this relationship has strengthened among recent cohorts. One key pathway relating education to health is health behavior. This study describes the relationships between highest degree obtained, years of education, and health behavior among young adults; examines whether socioeconomic attainment mediates the relationships; and tests whether these relationships vary by gender. We focus on whether years of education, educational degrees, or both matter for more favorable health behavior. We use NLSY-97 data, which includes both quantity and credential education measures. Findings reveal that higher educational degrees are associated with more positive health behavior, while increasing years of education also matters net of degree attainment. Some differences across behaviors exist. Socioeconomic status mediates these relationships, but the effects are weak. Findings also show no notable gender differences. This research shows that both educational quantity and credentials matter quite strongly for favorable health behavior.
Bibliography Citation
Skalamera, Julie, Robert A. Hummer, Katrina Michelle Walsemann and Melissa Humphries. "Highest Earned Degree, Education in Years, and Health Behavior among U.S. Young Adults." Presented: Boston MA, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, May 2014.