Intergenerational educational trajectories and premature mortality from chronic diseases: A registry population-based...

Area of Science:

• Social Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Social inequalities in mortality persist across generations.
• Intergenerational educational trajectories are understudied determinants of premature mortality.
• Understanding these gradients is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess if intergenerational educational trajectories influence premature mortality from chronic diseases.
• To quantify sex-specific inequalities in mortality related to parental and individual education.
• To identify specific chronic diseases affected by educational gradients.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the Swiss National Cohort (544,743 participants) with mortality follow-up until 2018.
• Categorization of participants into educational trajectories (High-High, High-Low, Low-High, Low-Low).
• Quantification of sex-specific mortality inequalities for cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and substance use.

Main Results:

• For men, low individual education was linked to increased cardiovascular disease mortality, irrespective of parental education.
• Significant excess cardiovascular disease deaths were observed for High-Low and Low-Low educational trajectories compared to High-High.
• Substance use mortality gradients appeared when education changed across generations, with High-Low trajectories showing excess deaths.

Conclusions:

• Premature mortality inequalities are significantly influenced by individual educational attainment and, to some extent, parental education.
• Findings highlight the need for intergenerational prevention strategies to mitigate health disparities.
• Targeted interventions focusing on individual education may reduce chronic disease mortality in men.