In:
BMC Public Health, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Vol. 23, No. 1 ( 2023-05-16)
Abstract:
Educational attainment is an important social determinant of health (SDOH) for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the association between educational attainment and all-cause and CVD mortality has not been longitudinally evaluated on a population-level in the US, especially in individuals with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). In this nationally representative study, we assessed the association between educational attainment and the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular (CVD) mortality in the general adult population and in adults with ASCVD in the US. Methods We used data from the 2006–2014 National Death Index-linked National Health Interview Survey for adults ≥ 18 years. We generated age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR) by levels of educational attainment ( 〈 high school (HS), HS/General Education Development (GED), some college, and ≥ College) in the overall population and in adults with ASCVD. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the multivariable-adjusted associations between educational attainment and all-cause and CVD mortality. Results The sample comprised 210,853 participants (mean age 46.3), representing ~ 189 million adults annually, of which 8% had ASCVD. Overall, 14.7%, 27%, 20.3%, and 38% of the population had educational attainment 〈 HS, HS/GED, Some College, and ≥ College, respectively. During a median follow-up of 4.5 years, all-cause age-adjusted mortality rates were 400.6 vs. 208.6 and 1446.7 vs. 984.0 for the total and ASCVD populations for 〈 HS vs ≥ College education, respectively. CVD age adjusted mortality rates were 82.1 vs. 38.7 and 456.4 vs 279.5 for the total and ASCVD populations for 〈 HS vs ≥ College education, respectively. In models adjusting for demographics and SDOH, 〈 HS (reference = ≥ College) was associated with 40–50% increased risk of mortality in the total population and 20–40% increased risk of mortality in the ASCVD population, for both all-cause and CVD mortality. Further adjustment for traditional risk factors attenuated the associations but remained statistically significant for 〈 HS in the overall population. Similar trends were seen across sociodemographic subgroups including age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, and insurance status. Conclusions Lower educational attainment is independently associated with increased risk of all-cause and CVD mortality in both the total and ASCVD populations, with the highest risk observed for individuals with 〈 HS education. Future efforts to understand persistent disparities in CVD and all-cause mortality should pay close attention to the role of education, and include educational attainment as an independent predictor in mortality risk prediction algorithms.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1471-2458
DOI:
10.1186/s12889-023-15621-y
Language:
English
Publisher:
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication Date:
2023
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2041338-5
