Physical activity and level of education in open male population

The aim of the study was to investigate the associations between social gradient in the level of education and attitude to physical activity as factor preventing cardiovascular and other chronic noncommunicable diseases. The study was performed according to the algorithms of the World Health Organization program, MONICA-Psychosocial. The representative population sample included 25-64-year-old men, residents of Tyumen (n=1000). Data of the study showed that 19.2% of men did physical exercises; 23.6% of men engaged in physical activity when they had free time. Compared to men with high school diploma, individuals with the higher education level more often performed regular physical exercises and actively spent their free time; significantly larger proportion of men with high school diploma had performance decrement. Overall conclusion is that the principles of the healthy life style are developing together with growing education level in men of employable age; higher education level is associated with higher physical activity and better performance in the workplace.