Knowledge and Habits of Exercise in Medical Students

Abstract

Objective. To examine the exercise habits, knowledge, and self-efficacy of incoming medical students. Methods. Mixed-methods study consisting of (1) cross-sectional surveys and (2) qualitative key-informant interviews. (1) International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), American Adult’s Knowledge of Exercise Recommendations Survey (AAKERS), and Self-Efficacy for Exercise Scale (SEES) to assess student’s physical activity level, knowledge of exercise recommendations, and self-efficacy for exercise. (2) Scripted questions explored exercise habits, sources of exercise knowledge, attitude toward exercise. Results. (1) Results of IPAQ classified students as 50% having high, 40% moderate, and 10% low levels of physical activity (n = 132). AAKERS demonstrated a mean total score of 16.2/20 (n = 130) (81% correct), similar to the national average (mean = 16/20) (n = 2002). SEES mean score of 48.5/90 (n = 128) is similar to previous studies (mean = 48.6/90, 52.75/90). (2) Interviews revealed that most students have a consistent exercise routine. Few students received formal education in exercise (10%), while the rest cited either peers, sports, or internet as primary sources of exercise knowledge. Less than half stated they would be comfortable designing an exercise routine for patients. Conclusions. Incoming medical students live an active lifestyle but have limited knowledge and formal training in exercise. Student’s knowledge is predominantly self-taught from independent resources.

Impact of Exercise Prescription Education on Medical Student Confidence and Knowledge in Generating Exercise Recommendations

“…Highlighting the lack of exercise education provided in the preclinical curriculum at SKMC, course participants scored higher on the multiple-choice question (MCQ) component of the assessment than their peers who did not receive this training session, as expected. This is congruent with the work done by Recker et al in 2021 [ 11 ], showing that medical students had a large gap in knowledge and confidence in this arena and that most of their knowledge of exercise prescription came from sources outside their formal medical training. The gap in knowledge between the two cohorts was indeed significant, highlighting that even one two-hour session on exercise prescription can facilitate learning on this important and clinically relevant topic.…”

Lessons learned from a pandemic: implications for a combined exercise and educational programme for medical students

“…Many conveyed a sense of having gained knowledge during the programme, with the majority confident that they would carry that knowledge forward into their clinical career. These findings are contrasted against current research, which still shows a deficit in medical professional knowledge in exercise as medicine [46,47].…”

Combatting Burnout by Maximizing Medical Student Participation in Exercise Events

“…Adding educational components to exercise events could incentivize students to join while synergizing with the traditional medical school curriculum as medical students have been shown to receive limited training in physical activity education. 23 Best efforts should be made to offer a variety of event types with accessibility options and stress the nonjudgmental nature of events to mitigate barriers to entry such as lack of previous experience, fear of embarrassment in front of peers, or physical disability. For example, we have previously held events where smartphone apps convert any kind of physical activity (cycling, elliptical, walking, yoga, rowing, miscellaneous cardio, etc.)…”