AS Worcestershire prepares for another school and university year, we tend to think of education in terms of qualifications, careers and earning potential.
But there is another reason education matters — and it is a medical one.
Educational attainment is closely associated with our risk of developing a range of serious illnesses.
People who have had fewer educational opportunities tend, on average, to experience higher rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, some cancers and chronic respiratory disease.
They are also more likely to experience poorer mental health and shorter life expectancy.
This does not mean that a lack of qualifications directly causes someone to become ill.
Nor does it mean that people with degrees are somehow protected from disease.
The relationship is much more complicated.
Education influences many of the circumstances in which our health is shaped — employment, income, housing, health literacy, exposure to pollution, smoking, diet, physical activity and the ability to access and understand healthcare.
Take heart disease.
The major risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity.
These risk factors are not distributed equally across society.
They are more common in communities experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage where educational opportunities are often more limited.
The same pattern can be seen with type 2 diabetes.
Diet, obesity, physical activity and living circumstances all contribute to risk.
Once someone develops diabetes their ability to understand medication, monitor their condition, attend appointments and recognise complications becomes critically important.
Then there is stroke.
High blood pressure is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for stroke.
Knowing that blood pressure matters, understanding why medication has been prescribed and engaging with preventative healthcare can make a substantial difference.
Cancer presents another important example.
Education does not determine whether somebody develops cancer.
But health literacy can influence whether people recognise warning signs, participate in screening programmes and seek medical advice promptly.
Earlier diagnosis can be crucial for many cancers.
Respiratory disease also illustrates the connection.
Smoking remains one of the major preventable causes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.
Smoking rates are strongly influenced by social and economic circumstances, including educational opportunity.
And we should not overlook mental health.
Anxiety, depression and other mental-health problems do not discriminate according to academic achievement.
But people facing educational and economic disadvantage can be exposed to greater levels of chronic stress, financial insecurity, poor housing and social isolation — all factors that can affect psychological wellbeing.
Perhaps the most important medical concept here is health literacy.
A person does not need to be highly educated to be intelligent.
But they do need access to understandable information about their health.
Can they recognise the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke?
Do they understand why their blood pressure needs treating even when they feel perfectly well?
Do they know why completing a course of treatment matters?
Do they understand what screening is for?
Can they distinguish reliable medical information from misinformation circulating online?
These are not academic questions.
They can be life-and-death questions.
That is why education should be regarded as part of the wider prevention agenda.
Doctors and nurses can prescribe medicines.
We can screen for disease, vaccinate against infection and encourage healthier lifestyles.
But, long before somebody walks into a GP surgery or hospital, their health has already been influenced by the circumstances in which they live and the opportunities they have had.
Education can give people greater ability to understand those circumstances and make informed choices within them.
And that is particularly relevant now as young people receive GCSE and A-level results and decide what comes next.
A disappointing result does not condemn anybody to poor health.
Equally, excellent grades do not guarantee a healthy life.
But every additional opportunity to learn can potentially strengthen a person’s health literacy, employment prospects, financial security, confidence and ability to navigate an increasingly complicated world.
So perhaps we should stop thinking about education simply as preparation for work.
It is also, in a very real sense, preparation for life — and for looking after the extraordinary piece of biology that carries us through it.
The medical lesson is clear — education is not a cure for disease but widening educational opportunity is one of the ways we can help to prevent disease, reduce health inequalities and give people a better chance of living longer, healthier lives.
As another academic year begins across Worcestershire, that is surely something worth investing in.
I would urge every student to value, appreciate and respect education — it is absolutely essential in shaping your future.
Our columnist Dr Jason Seewoodhary is a former Worcestershire GP.