Practice of Physical Activity Among Future Doctors: A Cross Sectional Analysis

Background: non communicable diseases (ncd) will accountfor 73% of deaths and 60% of the global disease burden by2020. physical activity plays a major role in the prevention ofthese non?communicable diseases. the stress involved in meetingresponsibilities of becoming a physician may adversely affect theexercise habits of students. so, the current study aimed to study thepractice of physical activity among undergraduate medical students.methods: a cross sectional study was conducted among240 undergraduate medical students. quota sampling method wasused to identify 60 students from each of the four even semesters.a pre?tested, semi?structured questionnaire was used to collectthe data. statistical package for social sciences (spss) version 16was used for data entry and analysis and results are expressed aspercentages and proportions.results: in our study, 55% were 20 to 22 years old. over halfof the students were utilizing the sports facilities provided bythe university in the campus. majority of students 165 (69%) hadnormal body mass index (bmi), (51) 21% were overweight, while7 (3%) were obese. of the 62% who were currently exercising, thepractice of physical activity was more among boys as compared togirls (62% v/s 38%). lack of time 46 (60.5%), laziness (61.8%),and exhaustion from academic activities (42%) were identified asimportant hindering factors among medical students who did notexercise.conclusion: a longitudinal study to follow?up student behaviorthroughout their academic life is needed to identify the factorspromoting the practice of physical activity among students.