A study conducted by researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health has found that intense early education programs for low-income children may not only prevent academic underachievement in the future, but could also positively impact health.

Children who received this type of intervention beginning in infancy had better health behaviors as young adults, according to the paper, which was published in the American Journal of Public Health.

Researchers evaluated data from the Carolina Abecedarian Project, which involved infants born between 1972 and 1977. The team found that children who were enrolled in the education program at an early age had a higher IQ by the age of three, as well as higher reading and math achievement by 15 years of age. These individuals also had lower rates of depression and were more likely to go to college, compared to the control group.

"What we have found is that this educational intervention also reduced health risks like smoking and improved health outcomes as early as age 21," the researchers said. "The health benefits were quite dramatic."

Teens who struggle in school and who indulge in unhealthy habits such as cigarette use could benefit from attending a wilderness program.