Physical activity level of medical students: Is there a family effect

Abstract

Background: Sedentary lifestyle is common in various age groups all over the world and it is an important public health issue because of its adverse effects on health. Taking actions against inactivity among medical students is important because they will become role models for their patients as future doctors. In this research, physical activity (PA) frequency and factors affecting participation in PA among medical students were studied. Methods: Six hundred sixty-eight medical students from Gazi University Medical Faculty took part in the study. The students answered sociodemographic questions in addition to completing the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). Results: One-quarter (24.9%) of the participants did no physical activity. Logistic regression indicated that being female (OR: 1.7), father’s inactivity (OR: 2.2), and family income less than 4500 TL (OR: 1.5) were significant factors in not doing PA among the medical students. Conclusions: As medical students will play a critical role in improving public health as future doctors, intervention programs should be encouraged in order to increase the PA level of medical students to create a healthy lifestyle habit.-