Feb 08, 2017 09:03 AM EST By Audri Taylors, UniversityHerald Reporter

A new study has found that people who did not earn a college degree are twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack compared to those those who graduated from college. According to the new Australian research, the students who leave school without even earning a certificate or degree are more likely to experience cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack or stroke, Science Daily reported. The Sax Institute's 45 and Up Study, published in the International Journal for Equity in Health, followed 267,153 men and women in the state of New South Wales aged over 45.

Lead researcher Dr. Rosemary Korda says that the findings of the five-year longitudinal study are not clear but are disturbing, according to MSN News. She said that the lower the education of a person, the higher the likelihood to have a stroke or heart attack.

The research found that heart attack rates among those with no educational qualifications were more than double based on the study conducted among adults aged 45 to 64 years old. Dr. Korda said that a similar pattern of inequality existed between household income and cardiovascular disease events and their findings could be a reflection of a number of factors.

She said it could reflect different lifestyle behaviors, like different smoking habits in the community, varying levels of obesity which are risk factors that increase a person's likelihood to suffer from heart attack or stroke. She added that it could also reflect health care where preventive medications are being taken to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

She explained that it could be because a person can have a better income with better education and there are more resources to draw on which puts you in a better position. Also, good education has a significant impact on a person's long term health because the type of job that you have can influence a lot of things in your life like the place you live and the choices you make.

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