Education Attainment, Intelligence and COVID-19: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Abstract

Background: Evidence of socioeconomic inequality in COVID-19-related outcomes is emerging, with a higher risk of infection and mortality observed among individuals with lower education attainment. We aimed to evaluate the potential interventions against COVID-19 from the socioeconomic perspective, including improvement in education and intelligence. Methods: With a two-sample Mendelian randomization approach using summary statistics from the largest genome-wide association meta-analysis, univariable analysis was adopted to evaluate the total causal effects of genetically determined education attainment and intelligence on COVID-19 outcomes. Multivariable analysis was performed to dissect the potential mechanisms. Results: Genetic predisposition to higher education attainment by 1 SD (4.2 years) was independently associated with reduced risk of COVID-19 severity (OR = 0.508 [95% CI: 0.417–0.617]; p < 0.001). Genetically higher education attainment also lowered the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization (0.685 [0.593–0.791]; p < 0.001), but the association was attenuated after adjustment for beta estimates of intelligence in multivariable analysis. Genetically higher intelligence was associated with reduced risk of COVID-19 hospitalization (0.780 [0.655–0.930]; p = 0.006), with attenuation of association after adjustment for education attainment. Null association was observed for genetically determined education attainment and intelligence with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Conclusion: Education may act independently and jointly with intelligence in improving the COVID-19 outcomes. Improving education may potentially alleviate the COVID-19-related health inequality.

Identifying factors contributing to increased susceptibility to COVID-19 risk: a systematic review of Mendelian randomization studies

“…Two Mendelian randomization studies assessed the role of educational attainment in COVID-19, which showed that higher educational attainment was associated with reduced risk of COVID-19 severity and hospitalization but not COVID-19 susceptibility. 43 , 61 One of these studies also showed that higher intelligence was associated with reduced risk of COVID-19 hospitalization ( Supplementary Table S1 , available as Supplementary data at IJE online). 43 …”

“… 43 , 61 One of these studies also showed that higher intelligence was associated with reduced risk of COVID-19 hospitalization ( Supplementary Table S1 , available as Supplementary data at IJE online). 43 …”

The longitudinal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health behaviors, psychosocial factors, and cognitive functioning in older adults

“…Educational attainment is one of several social determinants of health, wellbeing, and longevity driven by systemic racism and mediated through economic advantages, social-psychological factors, and access to health care resources (Maness et al, 2021; see Zajacova and Lawrence, 2018 for review). Indeed, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there is further evidence of this disparity as lower educational attainment has been associated with increased risk of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization (Chadeau-Hyam et al, 2020;Li et al, 2021). These findings have important implications regarding the need for dismantling educational barriers, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has further widened pre-existing disparities in educational opportunities, particularly for Black, Latinx, and American Indian or Alaska Native students, with the transition of in-person schooling to online learning (Office of Civil Rights, 2021).…”

“…Research grounded in the Fundamental Cause Theory (Link and Phelan, 1995) posits that education and health are interwoven given that educational attainment determines access to resources that promote health (i.e., income, healthcare, safe housing; Zajacova and Lawrence, 2018). Indeed, during the COVID-19 pandemic, greater educational attainment has been associated with decreased risk of contracting COVID-19 and reduced illness severity/hospitalizations (Chadeau-Hyam et al, 2020;Li et al, 2021;Yoshikawa and Asaba, 2021).…”

Learning Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic: What is The Attitude Towards Science of Middle School Students?

“…In line with this, WHO also declared the coronavirus as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, because of its impact affecting various sectors of life in the world (G. H.-Y. Li et al, 2021;Blake et al, 2021). The impact of the pandemic in addition to the economic sector, also affects the education sector such as school closures (Munastiwi & Puryono, 2021;Golberstein et al, 2020).…”