Characteristics according to traditional medicine in suboptimal health status and some related factors among medical students in University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University

Abstract

Background: The “Suboptimal health status” (SHS) is a term used to describe a group of conditions that affect many people around the globe but cannot be diagnosed with any diseases according to clinical standards. Lifestyle behaviors are considered as one of the most important factors affecting health status. Objectives: To survey characteristics according to Traditional Medicine (TM) of SHS and find out some related factors. Materials and method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in 464 students in 3rd years of 9 academic majors at University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hue University. Results: The prevalence of SHS was 13.8%. Among the SHS students, qi deficiency syndrome accounted for 51.6%, fire syndrome with 23.4%, depression syndrome 60.9% and dampness syndrome 28.1%. The average score of these syndromes was 43.1 ± 9.4, 19.6 ± 5.9, 11.7 ± 3.6 and 5.8 ± 2.5 respectively. There was significant difference in the frequency and status of the syndromes according to TM between students with SHS and healthy students (p < 0.05). Factors related to SHS were gender, interest in a major, use of electronic devices, physical activity and meal time (p < 0.05). There was correlation between the syndromes according to TM and characteristics of sleep. Conclusion: Lifestyle behaviors are associated with SHS. Therefore, it is necessary to change these behaviors to effectively improve health status. Key words: suboptimal health status, traditional medicine, lifestyle behavior, sleep quality, syndrome.