Level of Physical Activity Knowledge of Medical Students in a Brazilian University

Abstract

Background Physical inactivity is a major global public health problem, with a large impact on morbidity and mortality. For this reason, knowledge and advice on physical activity (PA) should be common to all health professionals. In this context, the role of physicians stands out, because they act in the first contact and have a high potential in addressing this issue and its impact on health promotion, prevention, and treatment in chronic diseases. This study aims to observe the level of physical activity knowledge of medical students in a university in the south of Brazil. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out by applying the short and validated version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) to collect data on sociodemographic factors, physical activity, knowledge of physical activity, and level of physical activity. Results A total of 294 students were assessed. The average (± SD) age was 22.0 (± 3.3) years. Most were women, and 72.8% presented body mass index within the range 18.5-25 kg/m 2 . Results showed that 65.6% of the students practice physical activity. There was statistical difference regarding the level of physical activity (p < 0.001) and sitting time on weekdays (p = 0.031) between the groups of physically active and physically inactive individuals. Conclusion It was concluded that the practice of physical activity has no association with the level of knowledge about it. However, by practicing physical activities doctors are better able to motivate and encourage their patients.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Medical Students Towards Role of Physical Activity in Prevention of Non-communicable Diseases

“…However, these findings had statistically insignificant association (p-value 0.210) (Table 13). Relevant to mention that this finding is supported by previous research that found no relation between knowledge and physical activity [25].…”

“…This may be in line with their background knowledge. And medical students' knowledge on physical activity was demonstrated in previous findings [25]. However, 40% of those who practice faced significant interference due to academic load, 35% faced no none while 25% reported occasional interference (p-value 0.063) (Table 12), which was not statistically significant.…”

“…Moreover, a study of medical students' physical activity took place in Thailand, and found that more than half had low physical activity [24]. Another more recent research was done in Brazil to assess knowledge of medical students on physical activity level and revealed lack of association between knowledge and physical activity [25].…”

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Physical Activity Among Medical Students at University of Cyberjaya, Malaysia

“…The majority of the participants were aware of the advantages of regular PA as well as the necessity of PA as a preventive and control measure of non-communicable diseases which were consistent with a previous study. [13] The respondents did, however, show a lack of understanding when questioned whether stretching is considered an aerobic exercise, whether 4-5 days per week of PA is the minimum requirement for receiving health benefits or whether prolonged participation in endurance sports might lead to fractures in bones and the body. A comparable study among American medical students showed they lacked knowledge of the specifics of exercise.…”

Physical Activity Promotes Well Being: Medical Students' Engagement and Perspective. A Cross-Sectional Study Scoped Through Innovation and Technology

“…In the realm of medical education, participation of undergraduate medical students in physical activity was extensively studied internationally [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Yet scientists and medical educators are still assessing various aspects pertaining to their involvement, understanding and active promotion, aiming towards improvement at all domains [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]. This sheds light on the additional importance related to future doctor's role in physical activity directed healthcare promotion, which remains suboptimal [43][44][45].…”