Education and health: socioeconomic attributes and academic performance

Abstract

The problem of this work is the relationship between graduation and dropout rates of academic and socio-demographic attributes of university students. The objective is to verify the highest level of education (human capital) of parents, which generates more health in children (factor of resilience) also acts as a protective factor in performance, retention and graduation of students. The statistical method used is the function of the product limit Kaplan-Meier and proportional hazards model of Cox. The results suggest that the level of maternal education is a protective factor for child education. The student’s performance during the first term, is key to their future career and determined in a 71% student performance in first year in regard to subjects passed. In addition to increasing the student’s age at admission increases the risk of desertion. Other statistically significant variables are attending private school increases the likelihood of graduation, student work that decreases and increases the risk of desertion.