Heart Attack Or Stroke Risk Increases For School Dropouts Or Less-Educated People, Study Reveals

Individuals who have dropped out of school or have not completed their education are likely to double their heart attack risk. A new study has discovered a rise in cardiovascular disease events among those with no solid education qualifications compared to those with a degree from the university.

The study, which has been done by the Sax Institute and has been published in the  International Journal for Equity in Health, looked into the data of 267,153 male and female individuals in the ages of 45 to 64 in New South Wales, Australia. The researchers kept track of their data for at least five years.

Researchers learned that for these middle-aged adults, those who have not finished high school have a 50 percent chance of having a heart attack or stroke while those with non-university qualifications have a 20 percent risk. Between non-graduates and university graduates, the risk of having a heart attack or stroke differs as much as 150 percent.

"The lower your education, the more likely you are to have a heart attack or a stroke," study head Dr. Rosemary Korda said, according to Science Daily. She describes the findings as disturbing, but the message is clear.

The study highlighted two things: that there's great inequality in cardiovascular conditions as influenced by one's social and economic background, and that this provides more ideas on the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The study authors also said that a potential reason why university graduates have lower heart attack or stroke risk might have something to do with the kind of work and opportunities these individuals land after getting their degrees.

New #infographic from @nationallipid in #US shows how to manage your risk of #heart attack/stroke. #hearthealth #CVD pic.twitter.com/Z95xelRlvE

— WorldHeartFederation (@worldheartfed) November 25, 2014

"We know that a good education impacts long-term health by influencing what type of job you have, where you live and what food choices you make," Heart Foundation CEO Kerry Doyle said in the Science Daily report. Study author David Sullivan hopes that people in the medical field would also be more aware of the kind of advice they are telling their patients, especially for those that have less education, according to The Sun.

Heart diseases, the leading cause of death in both men and women all over the world, also differ by race or ethnic background. Stroke can be brought on by heart diseases and lifestyle choices, with the less-educated individual likely unaware of what harm excessive drinking, smoking and eating can bring.