Still feeling the burn from those college loans? Well here’s some uplifting news: Your degree won’t just affect the kind of job you can get—it can also positively influence your exercise level. A new study presented at the American Sociological Association annual meeting found that the more education you have, the more physically active you are. And that, in turn, correlates with better overall health.
Researchers at the University of Kansas took a look at the results from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Specifically, they looked at data from accelerometers worn by 3718 survey participants. Accelerometers are devices that measure when the user is walking and the intensity of the steps taken.
Overall, the researchers found that people with a college degree were more sedentary during the week yet more active on weekends. Meanwhile, the survey participants with a high-school diploma or less were more active Monday through Friday and more sedentary Saturday and Sunday. But they didn’t just look at the total time spent sitting down or moving around; they examined how intense the active hours were. Turns out, the college grads participated in more vigorous activity overall.
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Even though they were on their feet more, the survey participants who had a high school diploma or less took part in less energy-consuming activity. This is important info, because taking part in more moderate-to-intense physical activity is linked to a longer lifespan, a lower likelihood of disease, and better psychological health, according to the soon-to-be-published study.
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So why do those with more education devote more weekend time to intense physical activity? Lead study author Jarron M. Saint Onge, Ph.D., said that higher educated people may have higher incomes, more time flexibility, access to better neighborhoods, sidewalks, and parks that make it easier to be active. Another factor: In general, higher education is linked to engaging in more positive health behaviors, such as better exercise and less smoking, says Saint Onge.
It’s also interesting to see that even though one group of people moved more overall, they were still missing out on vigorous physical activity. That could be because you assume your daily movements (being on your feet at work, walking or biking to your job, etc.) are enough of a workout, but experts say that’s not the case.Â
The goal of the study was to get a sense of how education influences activity levels, so health professionals could figure out how to get the message across to people of all socioeconomic groups that working out is crucial to health. Consider it a reminder that although a little moving around is better than sitting on your butt all day, the healthiest activity involves regularly working up a sweat.Â
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