Abstract
PurposeThere is a growing awareness of the potent ways in which the wellbeing of physicians impacts the health of their patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the health behaviors, care needs and attitudes towards self-prescription of Dutch medical students, and any differences between junior preclinical and senior clinically active students.MethodsAll students (n = 2695) of a major Dutch medical school were invited for an online survey. Physical activity, eating habits, alcohol consumption, smoking, Body Mass Index, substance use and amount of sleep per night were inquired, as well as their need for different forms of care and their attitude towards self-prescription.ResultsData of 902 students were used. Physical activity levels (90% sufficient) and smoking prevalence (94% non-smokers) were satisfying. Healthy eating habits (51% insufficient) and alcohol consumption (46% excessive) were worrying. Body Mass Indexes were acceptable (20% unhealthy). We found no significant differences in health behaviors between preclinical and clinically active students. Care needs were significantly lower among clinically active students. (p<0.05) Student acceptance of self-prescription was significantly higher among clinically active students. (p<0.001)ConclusionsUnhealthy behaviors are prevalent among medical students, but are no more prevalent during the clinical study phase. The need for specific forms of care appears lower with study progression. This could be worrying as the acceptance of self-care and self-prescription is higher among senior clinical students. Medical faculties need to address students' unhealthy behaviors and meet their care needs for the benefit of both the future physicians as well as their patients.
Highlights
Over the past few years, a great deal of research has been done on the relationship between doctors’ and medical students’ own health and how this affects the health care of their patients
The same has been proven for medical students: their personal healthy habits influence their counseling practices in a positive way, for physical activity [5], as well as for smoking and drinking [6,7]
These findings suggest that in promoting health in our medical students, we have found a novel approach to promote health in the general population
Summary
Over the past few years, a great deal of research has been done on the relationship between doctors’ and medical students’ own health and how this affects the health care of their patients. The same has been proven for medical students: their personal healthy habits influence their counseling practices in a positive way, for physical activity [5], as well as for smoking and drinking [6,7]. These findings suggest that in promoting health in our medical students, we have found a novel approach to promote health in the general population. Medical students appear to eat irregularly, which might be another potential cause of fatigue, and vice versa [25]
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