Abstract:

Background: Education is an essential determinant of health. The relationships between health and education are complex. Research proves that: each additional year of education of the mother is associated with a 7% to 9% reduction in mortality for children under 5; more-educated people are less likely to suffer from acute and chronic diseases. At the same time, heavy academic burnout is a public health issue, which demands educational coping strategies.
“Quality education” is among the sustainable development goals (SDGs) of the global 2030 Agenda. SDGs are integrated and the action in one area will affect outcomes in others. The aim of this public health research is to investigate the integration between two of the 17 SDGs - Goal 3: “Good health and well-being” and Goal 4: “Quality education” at an academic level. Following the aim, three objectives are achieved:
1) To present the humanistic health-related quality of life (HrQoL) concept;
2) To model a public health frame of education-HrQoL interactions;
3) In recognition that education is a HrQoL determinant, designs and results of academic research projects at a Bulgarian context are pictured.
Methodology:
Mixed methods including systematic internet search with key words- “health”, education”, ‘HrQoL”; literature review of related classical textbooks and relevant research articles from the database PubMed. A particular focus was placed on related research data from Bulgaria.
HrQoL frame: Health is a resource for everyday life. To measure self-reported health the HrQoL concept was introduced in public health. HrQoL is a humanistic idea that “hears the voice” of every individual. HrQoL is the 'litmus test', showing how an individual assesses his/her functional status and well-being in the physical, mental and social dimensions.
HrQoL and education interactions frame: In public health research have been identified three principal relationships between education and health which are also relevant at a Bulgarian context:
1) health as a prerequisite for education;
2) health education- it is a key approach of health promotion;
3) physical education at secondary and higher levels combines education about the importance of physical activity for health with promoting such activity.
Herewith, is identified an additional fourth public health relationship: 4) education as a behavioral determinant of health. Often it is a matter of personal choice to continue your formal education and to decide what kind of discipline/specialty to study. A model called “Public health frame of SDG3-SDG4 interactions” is presented with the four groups of principal relationships between education and health/HrQoL.
HrQoL and education interactions picture: From a public health standpoint, education can be measured in a variety of ways. The research examples follow the frame of the proposed model and picture teaching and research experiences at the Medical University-Varna, Bulgaria.
Conclusions:
“Education and health go hand in hand”. This report is aimed at a wide audience, including academics and professionals in public health and education. The idea is to provoke informed debate about the links between education, health, quality of life, wellbeing from the prenatal period, and childhood to the academic level and beyond. A humanistic academic strategy for every university, which aims to be a SDGs-setting have to be the education of happy and healthy graduates, who are competent, social, autonomous citizens.

Keywords:

Education, health, well-being, health-related quality of life, The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Medical University of Varna, Bulgaria.