The lower your education the more vulnerable you are to suffering a heart attack or stroke, according to a new Australian study.
The Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study, published in the International Journal for Equity in Health, found Australians who leave school without a school certificate are more than twice as likely to have a heart attack as those with a university degree.
Lead researcher Dr Rosemary Korda says the findings of the five-year longitudinal study are "disturbing but clear".
Researchers investigated the links between education and cardiovascular disease events - such as heart attack or stroke - by following more than 276,000 men an women in NSW aged over 45.
In adults aged 45-64 years, heart attack rates among those with no educational qualifications were more than double those with a degree.
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The risk was about two-thirds or 70 per cent higher for those with some tertiary qualification, such as that obtained for a trade, just not a university degree.
Dr Korda says a similar pattern of inequality existed between household income and cardiovascular disease events.
She also noted there are lots of complexities to this study and their findings could reflect a number of factors.
"It could reflect different lifestyle behaviours, so different levels of smoking in the community, different levels of obesity, so those risk factors that increase your risk of heart attack of stroke."
"It could reflect healthcare, so we know that there could be differences in the uptake of the use of preventative medication to reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke."
What these differences in cardiovascular disease rates between more and less disadvantaged groups show is just how much cardiovascular disease in the population can be prevented, said Dr Korda.
"With better education often you have better income and more resources to draw on so you are in a better position."
Heart disease is the single leading cause of death in Australia, with an average of one Australian dying every 27 minutes.
Heart Foundation NSW CEO Kerry Doyle says this research provides further opportunity to "unpack" the specific relationship between educational achievement and cardiovascular disease risk.
"We know that good eduction impacts long term health by influencing what type of job you have, where you live and what food choices you make," Ms Doyle said.
