An Interactive Lifestyle Medicine Curriculum for Third-Year Medical Students to Promote Student and Patient Wellness

Abstract

Introduction: Although lifestyle intervention and behavior modification are effective in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease, few medical schools provide specific training in stress management, nutrition, or physical activity. While the prevalence of chronic disease rises, medical students and physicians lack sufficient knowledge and skills to promote their patients' as well as their own wellness across these domains. Methods: We developed three hour-long workshops delivered to third-year medical students. We employed interactive lectures, small-group discussions, and reflective activities to teach the pillars of lifestyle medicine. These sessions focused on knowledge and skills to advance lifestyle counseling and behavior modification interventions with patients and to promote student wellness. We assessed student satisfaction with each session as well as self-perceived knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward lifestyle medicine and behavior change before and after the curriculum. Results: Over 2 years, 183 students participated in the workshop series. The sessions received high ratings, with a mean of 4.2 on a 5-point Likert scale. Participating in the curriculum significantly enhanced students' understanding of the connection between lifestyle factors and the health of patients and improved their confidence about counseling for behavioral change. Discussion: Lifestyle medicine provides an evidence-based framework for teaching students about the impact of lifestyle modification on chronic disease. While receiving knowledge and skills to advance patient care in the domains of stress management, nutrition, and physical activity, students who completed this curriculum also had the opportunity to reflect on their own health promotion, which could mitigate professional burnout.

Prevalence of fibromyalgia in medical students and its association with lifestyle factors – a cross-sectional study

“…As a solution to the issue at hand, medical universities must consider implementation of psychoeducational and behavioral therapy training courses to appropriately assist susceptible students. It is essential to educate students on the complex nature of FM, and the importance of sleep hygiene, nutrition, graded exercise and relaxation techniques [30,31]. Medical students must have access to resilience and mindfulness training with special emphasis on stresscoping strategies.…”

Enhancing self-care education amongst medical students: a systematic scoping review

“…Physical activity b. Nutrition c. Sleep [ 72 – 75 , 149 – 153 ] Self-development groups 1. Enhancing self-esteem 2.…”

“…These interventions tend to inculcate elements of mindfulness and focus on instilling more effective coping mechanisms, recognizing the symptoms of stress, and capturing the negative effects of stress on their learning, personal health and patient care [ 69 – 71 ]. Additional interventions include lifestyle interventions, such as increasing physical activity and improving eating habits and sleep quality [ 72 – 75 ]. More recently, psychoeducation or the use of activities, such as mask making to promote self-reflection and development of personal identity, have been adopted [ 76 – 78 ].…”

“…[ 3 – 7 , 54 , 55 , 63 – 65 , 67 , 71 – 73 , 75 , 76 , 80 , 82 , 83 , 85 – 89 , 91 , 93 – 97 , 113 , 114 , 130 – 132 , 136 , 140 , 142 – 146 , 149 , 159 , 167 , 169 , 170 , 173 , 174 ]…”

“…• Older, with a greater level of maturity and appreciation for the need for self-care interventions • Students with higher stress levels pre-intervention [ 78 , 84 , 129 , 143 , 174 ] Students’ adherence to intervention [ 3 , 7 , 58 , 64 , 85 , 89 , 90 , 99 , 136 ] Voluntary participation [ 54 , 68 , 76 , 89 , 114 , 115 , 132 , 146 , 178 ] Program-level Validated program [ 123 , 139 ] Occurred during more conducive periods [ 49 , 66 , 75 , 86 , 114 ] Provision of individualised options [ 160 ] Provision of incentives (e.g., financial, academic points) [ 153 , 158 , 179 ] Safe space • Small group format • Open, non-judgmental, collaborative discussion to destigmatize mental health concerns • Personal sharing of own struggles • Empathetic facilitators • Peer/clinician led class • Inter-professional learning to breakdown traditional hierarchies between professions [ 7 , 56 , 58 , 64 , 65 , ...…”