Selected Health Behaviors among Medical Students of the Medical University of Lodz

Abstract

Background Health is a state of complete physical and mental well-being, and the right of every individual. Its presence is influenced by various factors. It is well known that early prevention, aimed at avoiding disease, has a greater impact on quality of life and longevity than disease treatment. Through their behavior, young people determine the development of diseases in the future. Medical students are a special group in that respect. They should be more aware of the need to lead a healthy lifestyle, but they are at risk of chronic stress and other disorders due to strenuous studies. Objectives Learning about selected health behaviors of medical students of the Medical University of Lodz. Material and methods Medical students of the Medical University of Lodz; form of the study: original online questionnaire. Results 76.6% of the respondents were physically active. The favorite form of physical activity of medical students in Lodz were exercise in the gym (57.1%), walking (36.7%), and running (28.6%). 67.3% of the interviewees had normal body weight. 33.6% of the respondents admitted to smoking. 0.9% of the respondents drank alcohol daily, 28% at least once a week, 57.9% at least once a month, and 13.1% did not drink alcohol at all. Only about every third student did not drink energy drinks (34.6%). 35.5% of the respondents reported sleeping problems. Conclusions Medical students of the Medical University of Lodz were physically active: most often they exercised in the gym and walked. Men were overweight and obese more often than women. Greater physical activity and a lower percentage of smokers in the students of higher years of study may indicate an increase in the healthy lifestyle awareness. In universities, there is a need for activities aimed at students to raise their knowledge about prevention and healthy lifestyle.