Menzies Research Institute, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
BMC Public Health. 2010 Feb 2;10:55. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-10-55.
Although educational disparity has been linked to single risk behaviours, it has not previously been studied as a predictor of overall lifestyle. We examined if current education, parental education or educational mobility between generations was associated with healthy lifestyles in young Australian adults.
In 2004-06, participant and parental education (high [bachelor degree or higher], intermediate [vocational training], low [secondary school only]) were assessed. Educational mobility was defined as: stable high (participant and parent in high group), stable intermediate (participant and parent in intermediate group), stable low (participant and parent in low group), downwardly (lower group than parent) and upwardly (higher group than parent) mobile. We derived a lifestyle score from 10 healthy behaviours (BMI, non-smoking, alcohol consumption, leisure time physical activity and six components of diet). Scores >4 indicated a high healthy lifestyle score. We estimated the likelihood of having a high healthy lifestyle score by education (participant and parent) and educational mobility.
Complete data were available for 1973 participants (53% female, age range 26 to 36 years). Those with lower education were less likely to have healthy lifestyles. Parental education was not associated with having a high healthy lifestyle score after adjustment for participant's education. Those who moved upward or downward were as likely to have a high healthy lifestyle score as those in the group they attained.
We found clear disparities in health behaviour by participant education and intergenerational educational mobility. People attaining a higher level of education than their parents appeared protected from developing an unhealthy lifestyle suggesting that population-wide improvements in education may be important for health.
尽管教育差异与单一风险行为有关，但之前尚未研究其对整体生活方式的预测作用。我们研究了当前的教育程度、父母的教育程度或代际间的教育流动是否与澳大利亚年轻成年人的健康生活方式有关。
在 2004-2006 年期间，评估了参与者和父母的教育程度（高[学士学位或以上]、中[职业培训]、低[中学]）。教育流动被定义为：稳定的高（参与者和父母都在高组）、稳定的中（参与者和父母都在中组）、稳定的低（参与者和父母都在低组）、向下（低于父母的组别）和向上（高于父母的组别）流动。我们从 10 个健康行为（BMI、不吸烟、饮酒、休闲时间体力活动和饮食的六个组成部分）中得出了一个生活方式评分。得分>4 表示生活方式健康得分较高。我们根据教育（参与者和父母）和教育流动来估计拥有高健康生活方式得分的可能性。
1973 名参与者（53%为女性，年龄范围为 26 至 36 岁）的完整数据可用。受教育程度较低的人更不可能拥有健康的生活方式。在调整了参与者的教育程度后，父母的教育程度与拥有较高的健康生活方式得分无关。向上或向下流动的人与达到的组别一样有可能拥有较高的健康生活方式得分。
我们发现参与者的教育程度和代际教育流动与健康行为存在明显差异。那些获得比父母更高教育程度的人似乎免受不健康生活方式的影响，这表明在整个人群中提高教育水平可能对健康很重要。
