PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND OTHER LIFESTYLE HABITS OF MEDICAL STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COSTA RICA

Those engaged in medical sciences are social models. For this reason, their daily habits influence their professional practice and the primary prevention they carry out. The main purpose of this research was to determine whether this group of medicine training students, all from University of Costa Rica, met national and international recommendations regarding health and wellness regulations. In 2014, second semester, anonymous questionnaires were applied to all undergraduate medical students from first year to seniors (n= 216.) Based on this information, some personal data was gathered such as smoking habits, alcohol intake, fruit and vegetable consumption, and the amount of physical activities they practiced. According to this evidence, 52.91% drank alcohol beverages while the prevalence of active smokers was low (3.39%). Furthermore, although they accomplished the national and international standards related to fruit and vegetable consumption, 40% of the subjects did not exercise in any way. Among those who did exercise daily, 68.9% invested only 7.8 minutes per day. Among other findings, those who performed some physical activity at least once a week devoted more time to studying than to watching television. In brief, fitness and health promotion programs should target these future professionals to prevent risk factors such as overweight, obesity, and chronic diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle. English translation by Jeannette Soto Segur