Differences in Self-Rated Health and Physical Activity Due to Education Level among Koreans: Understanding Implications of Physical Education

BACKGROUND: We aimed to explore the effect of education levels on self-rated health and physical activity (PA) and to provide basic data for developing interventions based on physical education to improve the quality of life among Koreans. METHODS: The 2019 Community Health Survey data were selected through primary and secondary phylogenetic extraction. The survey was conducted among Korean adults aged ≥19 years (n=229,099), in 2019, using an electronic questionnaire. The education levels were classified into eight groups: uneducated, Seodang/Hanhak (traditional Korean school), elementary school, middle school, high school, college (2 or 3 years), university (4 years), and post-graduate or higher. In this study, the effect of participants’ education levels on self-rated health levels and PA was investigated (the PA subdimensions were: the number of days of vigorous PA, moderate-intensity PA, walking, and flexibility exercises). RESULTS: 1) Regarding self-rated health, significant differences according to education level were recorded (P<0.001), with higher education levels leading to higher averages. 2) Regarding PA, significant differences according to education level were revealed, and the number of days of vigorous PA, walking, and flexibility exercise (P<0.001) increased with higher education levels. Moreover, the university (4 years) group reported the highest average. However, the middle school group reported the highest average for the number of days of moderate-intensity PA (P<0.001), and the average number of days decreased as the education level increased after middle school. CONCLUSION: Education plays an important role in maintaining health, and practicing appropriate PA contributes to one’s quality of life.