The relationship between educational level, physical activity and mortality

Neðst á síðunni er hægt að nálgast greinina í heild sinni með því að smella á hlekkinn View/OpenObjectives: The relationship between educational level and mortality is well known. This has been shown in the Reykjavik Study and was only partly accounted for by unequal distribution of known risk factors. The objective of the present study was to explore the relationship between educational level and physical activity and whether that relationship could partly explain differences in mortality. Material and methods: This is a part of the Reykjavik Study. Presented is data from 18,912 participants, divided into four groups by educational level. Physical activity was assessed by questionnaire. The relationship between physical activity and educational level was assessed by logistic regression and between mortality and educational level by Cox regression analysis. Adjustments were made for age, year of examination, known risk factors (serum lipids, blood pressure, height, weight, smoking, use of anti-hyertensive drugs and 90 min glucose tolerance) and physical activity. Results: There was a positive relationship between physical activity and educational level (p<0.001). By adding adjustments for physical activity to a multiple regression analysis containing other known risk factors the relationship between total mortality and educational level was reduced. For highest versus lowest educational group hazard ratio was elevated from 0.77 to 0.80 for men and from 0.91 to 0.93 for women. Same trend existed for cardiovascular mortality and to a less extent for cancer mortality. Conclusion: The association between educational level and mortality can be partly explained by differences in leisure-time physical activity. In spite of adjustments for known risk factors and physical activity there remains a statistically significant relationship between educational level and mortality.Inngangur: Vel þekkt er sambandið á milli lengdar skólagöngu og lífslíkna. Við höfum sýnt fram á þetta samband í Hóprannsókn Hjartaverndar. Það skýrðist aðeins að hluta til af mismunandi vægi þekktra áhættuþátta eftir skólagöngu. Markmið þessarar rannsóknar var að kanna hvort ástundun líkamshreyfingar væri mismikil eftir lengd skólagöngu og hvort slíkur mismunur gæti skýrt frekar samband skólagöngu og dánartíðni. Efniviður og aðferðir: Rannsókn þessi var hluti af Hóprannsókn Hjartaverndar. Til grundvallar þessara niðurstaðna eru gögn 18.912 þátttakenda, skipt í fjóra hópa eftir lengd skólagöngu. Allir þátttakendur svöruðu spurningalista um eigið heilsufar og fleira, meðal annars ástundun líkamsæfinga. Reiknað var samband skólagöngu og ástundunar líkamsæfinga með aðhvarfsgreiningu (logistic regression). Reiknuð var út dánaráhætta með áhættulíkani Cox. Leiðrétt var fyrir aldri, skoðunarári, þekktum áhættuþáttum (blóðfitu, blóðþrýstingi, hæð, þyngd, reykingum, notkun háþrýstingslyfja og sykurþoli) og ástundun líkamsæfinga. Niðurstöður: Sýnt var fram á marktækt jákvætt samband á milli reglulegrar ástundunar líkamsæfinga og menntunar (p