Prevention & lipidsMeta-analysis
Educational Attainment and Lifetime Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
- Pooled analysis of prospective cohort studies
- individual-level pooled data
- 6 prospective cohorts
- competing risk of noncardiovascular death accounted for
Authors' conclusion
Lower education was associated with lifetime CVD risk across adulthood; higher education translated to healthy longevity.
Study context
- Population
- Adults without cardiovascular disease (CVD) at baseline, aged 40–59 and 60–79 years, community-based cohorts, 1985–2015
- Participants
- 40,998 adults · 6 cohorts
- Comparison
- Educational attainment categories vs college graduate
- Outcome
- CV events:
- Fatal and nonfatal CHD
- HF and stroke
- CVD-related deaths
- Total CVD
- Follow-up
- Lifetime
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
CVD event
Each group vs college graduateCompeting HR (95% CI)
Less than high schoolmiddle-aged men
1.58(1.38–1.80)
High schoolmiddle-aged men
1.30(1.10–1.46)
Some collegemiddle-aged men
1.16(1.00–1.34)
Less than high schoolwomen
1.70(1.49–1.95)
High schoolwomen
1.19(1.05–1.35)
Some collegewomen
0.98(0.83–1.15)
Further pooled results
Years lived without CVD
- Higher education: longer duration of life prior to incident CVD
CVD risk prediction
- Education provided limited contribution toward enhancing CVD risk prediction
Original publication
Educational Attainment and Lifetime Risk of Cardiovascular Disease. JAMA Cardiol. Published 1 January 2024. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2023.3990
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it