Untersuchung zum Gesundheitsverhalten von Medizinstudierenden

Data: This work is based on the data collected from 258 participants that were all students of a single semester. This corresponds to a participation rate of 73.11 %. 61.48 % percent of all respondent were female, 38.52 % male and the average age was 21.57. This data matches well the corresponding demographic data of the complete semester. Methods: This survey was performed usinga five-page questionnaire. Questions concerned mainly drinking habits but also smoking customs, fruit- and vegetable consumption, physical activities and BMI-values. Data was evaluated with a statistical software package (SPSS 12.0). An explorative data analysis was performed and the results were validated using a binary logistic regression analysis. Results 50 % of all participants reported at least one binge episode (corresponding to at least five alcoholic beverages for men and four for women) within the last month. Here, the prevalence was significantly higher for men than for women. We found that an increase in the number of binge episodes within one month correlates to an increased number of other behaviours bearing health risks. On average, the behaviours of all female participants complied with 2.16 risk factors whereas the average for men in this study is 2.57 risk factors. Several significant predictors for the differentiation between the three distinct binge groups were found (non-bingers: no binge episode within 30 days; bingers: 2 to 5 binge episodes; frequent bingers: 6 or more binge episodes): ‘gender’, ‘smoking’ and ‘body mass index’. A low willingness to a change of behaviour concerning alcohol and nutrition was found. A higher motivation was detected for the risk factors ‘smoking’ and ‘insufficient physical activity’. Participants overestimated the drinking behaviour of their fellow students. Conclusion: We were able to confirm the hypothesis that students whose behaviour complies with at least one risk factor have a higher risk to comply with other risk factors. Regarding their future role in the health care system, medical students should be particularly encouraged to abide by a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, different measures should be taken in dependence on the different stages of the transtheoretic model.