Quality and quantity: The association of state-level educational policies with later life cardiovascular disease

We examined thirteen CVD-related outcomes—including blood pressure, cholesterol, and heart attack—to understand the multiple pathways through which educational quality may influence CVD. The primary predictor was a composite index of educational quality, combining state-level measures of student-teacher ratios, per-pupil expenditures, and school term length. We fit multivariable models, regressing each outcome on the educational quality composite index and adjusting for individual- and state-level covariates. We also assessed whether the association between state educational quality and CVD differed for less educated individuals. Overall, higher educational quality was associated with less smoking (OR = 0.86, 95%CI: 0.77, 0.97), but there was no statistically significant association for the other 12 outcomes. Interaction tests indicated that less educated individuals benefited less from higher educational quality relative to those with more education for several outcomes. Our study suggests that state-level educational quality is not strongly associated with CVD, and that this null association overall may mask heterogeneous benefits that accrue disproportionately to those with higher levels of education.
Source: Preventive Medicine - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research