Health Behaviors, Care Needs and Attitudes towards Self-Prescription: A Cross-Sectional Survey among Dutch Medical Students

Abstract

PurposeThere is a growing awareness of the potent ways in which the wellbeing of physicians impacts the health of their patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the health behaviors, care needs and attitudes towards self-prescription of Dutch medical students, and any differences between junior preclinical and senior clinically active students.MethodsAll students (n = 2695) of a major Dutch medical school were invited for an online survey. Physical activity, eating habits, alcohol consumption, smoking, Body Mass Index, substance use and amount of sleep per night were inquired, as well as their need for different forms of care and their attitude towards self-prescription.ResultsData of 902 students were used. Physical activity levels (90% sufficient) and smoking prevalence (94% non-smokers) were satisfying. Healthy eating habits (51% insufficient) and alcohol consumption (46% excessive) were worrying. Body Mass Indexes were acceptable (20% unhealthy). We found no significant differences in health behaviors between preclinical and clinically active students. Care needs were significantly lower among clinically active students. (p<0.05) Student acceptance of self-prescription was significantly higher among clinically active students. (p<0.001)ConclusionsUnhealthy behaviors are prevalent among medical students, but are no more prevalent during the clinical study phase. The need for specific forms of care appears lower with study progression. This could be worrying as the acceptance of self-care and self-prescription is higher among senior clinical students. Medical faculties need to address students' unhealthy behaviors and meet their care needs for the benefit of both the future physicians as well as their patients.

Nível de atividade física e acúmulo de tempo sentado em estudantes de medicina

“…A literatura tem mostrado que há uma consciência crescente de que o bem-estar dos médicos e seus hábitos afetam a saúde de seus pacientes, o que também incluí a atividade física 16,17,[26][27][28] . Um estudo prospectivo 16 com uma amostra representativa (N = 2.316) dos estudantes de medicina dos EUA de 16 universidades evidenciou que os estudantes de medicina que cumpriram ou aderiram às recomendações de atividade física ao longo dos quatro anos do estudo demonstraram melhor saúde mental, maior taxa de prescrição da atividade física e maior influência dessas prescrições em relação aos seus pacientes.…”

“…Van der Veer et al,. 28 baseados em uma amostra de 962 estudantes de medicina holandeses, verificaram a prevalência de comportamentos não saudáveis, sendo que o estudo concluíu que as faculdades de medicina necessitam abordar formas de promover comportamentos saudáveis tanto para o benefício de seus alunos, como dos médicos e dos pacientes.…”

“…Assim, vários estudos 16,17,[26][27][28] concordam com a necessidade de estudar o nível de atividade física e comportamentos relacionados à saúde dos estudantes de medicina, sendo importante a descrição destes aspectos do grupo, pois poderão servir para elaborar estratégias e intervenções como medida preventiva para a adoção de hábitos de vida saudáveis e a melhoria da qualidade de vida tantos dos estudantes quanto de seus pacientes.…”

Do Healthcare Professionals Practice What They Preach in Reality?

“…HCPs played an important role in smoking cessation campaigns. There are some remarkable examples from the United Kingdom and Sweden [17,18]. In UK, researchers collected information from hospital staff and found that the smoking rate among HCPs was lower (overall 7%; doctors 2.6%; medical students 3.8%; nurses 8.7%; allied health professionals 10.9%) than the general population (24%) [18].…”

“…There are some remarkable examples from the United Kingdom and Sweden [17,18]. In UK, researchers collected information from hospital staff and found that the smoking rate among HCPs was lower (overall 7%; doctors 2.6%; medical students 3.8%; nurses 8.7%; allied health professionals 10.9%) than the general population (24%) [18]. Similar findings were revealed by study from Sweden that shows a lower (6%) prevalence of smoking among HCPs than the general population (19%) [17].…”