Less education and smoking: Deadly combination?

There's  been lots of studies and stories about disparities among more vulnerable populations. People with less education are no exception, especially those who smoke. One recent study found that less educated smokers are at greatest risk for stroke:

"The combined effect of low educational level and smoking on the risk of stroke is the most surprising finding of our paper," said study author Helene Nordahl, an epidemiologist in the department of public health at the University of Copenhagen.

She added that reducing smoking among those with the least education could potentially reduce strokes more than targeting smoking in those with the most schooling.

Although the study included Danish participants, Nordahl believes her findings are applicable to other countries.

"Since the most disadvantaged groups are often exposed to a wide number of stroke risk factors, it seems plausible that these people are at increased risk of stroke, not only in Denmark but also in the U.S.," Nordahl said.

The second paragraph of this excerpt hits home - for public health education, it's important connect with the right people to reduce stroke risk.

And EVERYONE is important...

Learn from these just-found videos

Words from Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth (a great city!). The speaker is Roger Blair, M.D., a neurologist on medical staff:

And from a two-month initiative, administered through the Virginia Department of Health and made possible with a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: