Assessment of Physical Health of Final-Year Medical Students and Young Doctors

Abstract

Background: By the end of university, the proportion of medical students with chronic diseases usually increases while physical activity and fitness decrease. Objective: To assess physical development of final-year medical university students and clinical residents. Materials and methods: We have assessed physical health of 16 final-year medical students and 14 first-year medical residents (20.0 % and 25.0 % of the sample population in 2019–2022, respectively). We measured body height, weight, chest circumference, leading hand force, lung capacity, hemodynamic parameters at rest, after exercise and recovery and the mean dynamic pressure in all study participants. We also estimated Quetelet, Pignet, and Robinson indices and those of force, vitality, endurance, and functional changes. In addition, we assessed living conditions, nutrition, and daily energy expenditures of the young people. Results: We established that, under conditions of an organized team, a regulated mode of learning and a high calorie intake, two students (12.5 %) were overweight while the number of overweight residents was six (42.9 %), which was probably related to changes in the lifestyle, nutrition, and daily routine. Estimation of the body mass index showed that 10 (62.5 %) students and 11 (78.6 %) residents were overweight and obese. A more positive body build index among the residents was attributed to a higher number of overweight subjects and confirmed by strength and vital indices and chest circumference measurements. We revealed more considerable preclinical shifts in the health status of the residents in terms of the functional state of the cardiovascular system (diastolic blood pressure at rest and after exercise, heart rate and diastolic blood pressure after exercise, mean dynamic pressure after a period of rest, endurance coefficient, Robinson index) and the index of functional changes. Conclusions: Changes in the synergistic factors of learning and lifestyle of medical residents at the beginning of their professional career cause more significant preclinical alterations in the body compared with students, which necessitates raising their awareness of a healthy lifestyle.