1163 Physician Wellness Among Gastroenterologists: A Comparison of Gastroenterologists and Primary Care Providers

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) makes multiple recommendations regarding nutrition, exercise and sleep which are in turn transmitted by doctors to patients. It recommends that adults should eat at least 1.5 to 2 cups of fruits and 2 to 3 cups of vegetables per day. In addition, it also recommends that adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity or at least 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity throughout the week. There are also recommendations regarding adequate sleep, sodium intake and carbonated beverages. METHODS: A survey was conducted among gastroenterologists and primary care providers regarding their nutrition, sleep and exercise with physicians being asked to rank questions on a scale of 1 to 5 with one being not at all and 5 being all the time. For statistics, comparison was made with answers 3 or below with 4 and 5. RESULTS: Only 33% of the gastroenterologists were eating at least 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit and 2 to 3 cups of vegetables per day as compared to 75% of the primary care providers. Regarding exercise 100% of the gastroenterologists were doing the recommended guidelines of CDC of exercise as compared to 50% of the providers. 33% of the gastroenterologist were sleeping more than 7 hours a day on a regular basis as compared to 50% of the primary care providers. None of the gastroenterologists were consuming carbonated or sweetened beverages and only 33% of the gastroenterologists were meeting the CDC guidelines of consuming less than 2300 milligrams of sodium per day as compared to 50% of the primary care providers. CONCLUSION: Gastroenterologists were very cognizant and despite their busy lifestyles do take out time for exercise. In addition, gastroenterologists tend not to consume carbonated or sweetened beverages. However, they did not stick to the recommended guidelines regarding fruit and vegetable intake as well as the recommended hours for sleep per day as compared to primary care providers.