Association and mediation between educational attainment and respiratory diseases: a Mendelian randomization study

Table 3 Estimates of the effect of educational attainment on outcomes explained by each mediator and by both combined

Mediating pathway	Indirect effect (a × b)	Proportion mediated (%)
Educational attainment to FEV1
Via BMI	0.02 (0.01, 0.02)	0.15
Via cigarettes per day	0.03 (0.01, 0.04)	0.26
Via BMI + cigarettes per day	0.003	0.03
Educational attainment to FVC
Via BMI	0.03 (0.02, 0.04)	0.23
Via cigarettes per day	0.02 (0.01, 0.04)	0.18
Via BMI + cigarettes per day	0.05	0.44
Educational attainment to FEV1/FVC
Via BMI	− 0.02 (− 0.03, − 0.01)	3.79
Via cigarettes per day	0.01 (0.001, 0.03)	− 2.73
Via BMI + cigarettes per day	− 0.07	15.46
Educational attainment to lung cancer
Via BMI	− 0.02 (− 0.04, 0.004)	0.03
Via cigarettes per day	− 0.11 (− 0.19, − 0.04)	0.18
Via BMI + cigarettes per day	− 0.02	0.03
Educational attainment to asthma
Via BMI	− 0.02 (− 0.04, − 0.01)	0.15
Via cigarettes per day	− 0.02 (− 0.04, 0.005)	0.10
Via BMI + cigarettes per day	− 0.03	0.17

BMI body mass index, FEV1 forced expiratory volume in one second, FVC forced vital capacity, FEV1/FVC forced expiratory volume in one second / forced vital capacity

ISSN: 1465-993X