Influence of Sociodemographic Factors on Academic Performance in the Subject of Human Gross Anatomy

Abstract

It has been demonstrated that the teaching and learning process of human anatomy is influenced by different external factors that can affect, in the short and long term, the academic and professional performance of medical students. In this sense, the present work aims to determine the relationship between sociodemographic factors and the academic performance of students belonging to the program of Medicine and Surgery of the Universidad del Valle, in Cali-Colombia, who were enrolled in the course of Human Gross Anatomy. Based on the organization of the course plan, the average grades obtained by the students in the different exams taken in the course were compared. Through a survey, sociodemographic data that have been reported as influential factors in academic performance were asked. The first stage of the analysis consisted of identifying the characteristics of the variables, then the correlation of the sociodemographic variables with the students' academic performance, and finally, a multiple linear regression model was implemented. Although the results did not show statistically significant correlations between the variables analyzed, a close relationship was observed with the sex and place of origin of the students, obtaining that women and students from other towns and cities presented lower academic performance compared to their peers. This highlights the importance of including activities to strengthen the learning process, as well as guiding support programs to maintain academic performance and reduce the inequality gap.