Knowledge and Barriers to a Healthy Lifestyle in Medical Students

Abstract

Abstract Background Across the US, chronic illnesses, including cancer and cardiovascular disease, largely result from poor lifestyle decisions such as diet, tobacco/alcohol use, and physical inactivity. Medical students, in particular, have exceedingly unhealthy lifestyle habits, which can result in severe medical conditions, future poor patient outcomes, and burnout. However, little evidence exists on what perceived barriers medical students hold on lifestyle behaviors or how well they understand the relationship between specific lifestyle behaviors and their impact on health. Method This study included data from a self-selected sample of 127 medical students aged 22–41 years. All participants were from a midwestern university. Measures included the perceived health impact of 14 different lifestyle and dietary behaviors, self-reported barriers to lifestyle behaviors, and basic demographic questions. Results Results showed an average correlation of − .004 between participants' perceived impact and the actual impact of the behaviors on health (SD = .25; CI = − .047 − .039). Results also identified perceived barriers across behaviors that impact health. For example, results showed the most commonly reported barriers across eating behaviors are cost at 17%, taste at 14%, time at 8%, and food spoiling too quickly at 7%. Conclusion Data suggests medical students have insufficient knowledge of the impact of lifestyle behaviors on health. Results also identified several perceived challenges for each lifestyle behavior. Interventions that target a medical student population should include information regarding how to overcome perceived barriers and the impact of lifestyle behaviors on health. Incorporating such information will bolster future interventions' effectiveness.