The Transition of Medical Students Through Residency: Effects on Physical Activity and Other Lifestyle-Related Behaviors

Abstract

Background: Little is known about lifestyle choices and preventive healthcare-seeking behaviors during the transition from medical school graduation to residency training, a period characterized by increased rates of stress and lack of free time due to demanding working conditions. All of these issues are likely to affect physical activity (PA) level. This study explored the evolution of PA and other lifestyle behaviors during this transition. Methods: A cross-sectional study and a cohort study were conducted with medical students (2010) and physicians before and after the first year of residency (2013 and 2014). A self-administered questionnaire assessed PA, health and lifestyle behaviors. Results: From a sample of 420 medical students and 478 residents, 74% comply with current PA guidelines. PA decreased by 16% during residency. Low levels of PA were found among (i) females, and in respondents who reported (ii) poor self-perceived health and (iii) unhealthy body weight (p < 0.05). Low PA level was also significantly associated with poor mental health in first-year residents. Conclusions: The transition has a negative effect on physicians' PA level that may affect physicians' own health and patient care.Medical programs should encourage residents to engage in PA to assure physicians' personal and mental health.Keywords: physical activity; medical students; residents' health; lifestyle behaviors; mental healthThe transition of medical students to residency 2 IntroductionIn medical training the transition from medical school to residency training is characterized by higher rates of stress and a lack of free time. The demands of the working conditions can also lead to limited sleep, dealing with patients' suffering and the death and/or the responsibility of starting to make decisions regarding patients' health.1, 2 Further, with increasing demands within medical education, it is important that new studies build on existing research to show the effects that the different stages of training may have on physicians' personal health and lifestyle-related behaviors.In both patients and doctors, sedentary behaviors, physical inactivity, obesity levels, smoking rates, alcohol consumption and substance use are powerful behavioral risk factors for numerous chronic diseases.3, 4 For patients, physicians are both an important source of health-related information and role models. This puts them in a powerful position to influence their patients' behaviors. 5 The TorontoCharter links this influence to the key initiators of prevention actions for non-communicable diseases within healthcare systems and their capacity to influence large portions of the population. Studies show the importance of both including PA prescriptions in the medical curricula and promoting healthy lifestyle choices such as PA during medical school first. Increasing the proportion of students who adopt and maintain regular PA habits is essential for increasing the rate and quality of the future PA counseling delivered by doctors. 5,6 Yet little is...

Diferencia de los niveles de actividad física, sedentarismo y hábitos alimentarios entre universitarios de diferentes programas de la salud de una universidad privada en Bogotá, Colombia

“…Igualmente, se encontró que el programa con mayor porcentaje de nivel bajo de actividad física fue Enfermería y el de porcentaje superior de nivel alto de actividad física fue Medicina, similar a lo reportado por otra investigación en Colombia 16 , lo que se debe a la conformación demográfica de los programas, donde Medicina tiene mayor cantidad de hombres y son más jóvenes, que son factores relacionados con el nivel alto de actividad física 14,15,24 .…”

“…Se ha reportado en universitarios que las mujeres tienen mayor consumo de frutas y verduras 12 y menor consumo de comidas rápidas 13 . Respecto a la actividad física en universitarios de programas de la salud, se evidencia una prevalencia de inactividad de 44%, mayor sedentarismo en las mujeres 14 y su incremento conforme aumenta el año académico 14,15 . Pocos estudios se han enfocado en describir diferencias entre programas de la salud, proponiendo que medicina y enfermería son los programa con mayores disparidades en alimentación y/o actividad física [16][17][18] .…”