Al-Harbi N* and Farajat M
Background and Objectives: University students have higher odds to adopt health-risk behaviors while in their emerging adulthood. These behaviors predispose students to chronic diseases, and hinder their academic achievement. Our study aimed to describe the prevalence rates and pattern of major health-risk behaviors among Saudi medical students.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional prevalence study of a representative sample of medical students in a Saudi medical college (n=428). In August 2018, data were collected on self-reported physical inactivity including sedentary behaviors, unhealthy dietary behaviors, and tobacco use. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chisquare test, and Phi-coefficient.
Results: The most prevalent health-risk behaviors were bunched around physical inactivity, ranging from 97.9% for inadequate muscle-strengthening exercises to 77.3% for high sedentary lifestyle. Less prevalent unhealthy lifestyles were bunched around tobacco use, ranging from 0.93% to current e-water-pipe smoking to 6.2% for current cigarette smoking. Furthermore, males were more likely to consume fast-food (P=0.000) and soda (P=0.002) than females. Minimal significant level of associations between unhealthy lifestyles was determined.
Conclusion: Our study showed variable prevalence rates of health-risk behaviors. Physical inactivity was the most common behavior, which should be, therefore, tackled as the top priority. Promotion of healthier lifestyle choices among medical students during their medical education will help them as they progress from being undergraduate students to being young doctors. This will ensure that they will consistently provide lifestyle education to their patients.
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