A Study to Evaluate the Lifestyle of Medical Students in Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

Introduction Medical school is a challenging period that may bring about undesired changes in health and lifestyle habits. In order to thrive both mentally and physically, students must maintain a balanced routine and adopt healthy lifestyles. Scientific evidence confirms that unhealthy life habits play an important role in the development of many disorders in all age groups. Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence of these lifestyle habits among medical students of a renowned private sector medical school based in Lahore, Pakistan, and to identify their association with variables such as socio-demographic characteristics, year of medical school, and personal beliefs. Methodology This cross-sectional study of 300 medical students included a self-administered questionnaire comprising (in addition to socio-demographic characteristics) information about healthy lifestyle practices in the following areas: gender, age, sleep, dietary habits, addictions, physical activity, and hygiene practices. The students were undergraduates in the first to fifth years of M.B.B.S, aged >= 18 years, and gave informed consent. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, US). The chi-squared test was used to determine the association. Results The frequencies of healthy, fairly healthy, and unhealthy lifestyles were 30.7%, 62.3%, and 7%, respectively. In a sample of 33.3% males and 66.7% females, the fairly healthy lifestyle was most prevalent (62.3%) followed by the healthy lifestyle (30.7%) and unhealthy lifestyle (7.0%). Third-year MBBS had the highest prevalence of healthy lifestyle (n=20, 40.8%). Fourth-year MBBS had the highest prevalence of a fairly healthy lifestyle (n=70, 75.3%). Whereas, second-year MBBS had the highest prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle (n=9, 11%). This difference between classes was statistically significant (p=0.006). Conclusion In order to combat the low level of healthy lifestyles in medical students, it is recommended that measures such as awareness programs and seminars be put in place.