Catholic Schools, Health Habits, and Substance Abuse

Abstract

The effect of Catholic schooling on the demand for the commodities in question could be either direct on indirect. It could directly affect the demand for alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana if Catholic schooling affected the behavior of students relative to other types of schooling. Catholic schooling might indirectly affect the demand for the commodities in question if it affected educational attainment or test scores. In related studies, it has been shown that educational attainment and test scores reduce smoking and alcohol abuse.

This brief chapter discusses the effects of Catholic schooling on alcohol abuse, marijuana use, and smoking by young adults. The consumption of such commodities is associated with diminished cognitive ability, a higher high school dropout rate, unfavorable labor market outcomes, sickness, and death (Center for Disease Control, 1992; Levine, et al., 1993; Pope and Yurgelum-Todd, 1996; Solowij and Michie, 1995; Yamada, et al., 1993).