Lifestyle and Health of Foreign Medical Students

Introduction: Creating a healthy lifestyle in student youth is a key factor in adaptation to increased psycho-emotional and physical stress during the learning process that is even more challenging for foreign students. Objective: To survey the lifestyle, diet, and health status of the first and sixth-year foreign medical students studying at the Derzhavin Tambov State University. Materials and methods: We conducted a sociomedical survey of 105 first-year and 122 sixth-year foreign students using paper questionnaires specially adapted for the study to establish the main health status parameters. The average age of respondents was 23.6 ± 2.3 years. The respondents’ home countries are located in Africa (Egypt, Gabon, Nigeria, Ghana, Namibia, Morocco) and Asia (India, Palestine, Malaysia). Results: We observed an increase in obesity prevalence with age. Overweight was noted in 17.1 % of the first-year and 23.0 % of the sixth-year students; 7.4 % of the senior students were obese (p < 0.01). The respondents’ self-rated and objective health deteriorated by the final year at university. Having more than four episodes of a respiratory disease per year over the previous two years was reported by 28.6 % of the freshmen but already 50.8 % of the seniors (p < 0.01). The main complaints of all the respondents were fatigue, drowsiness, and inattention. Satisfaction with the diet subjectively increased by the sixth year. Both freshmen and seniors reported a lack of vitamins and minerals in the diet while eating at home was reported by 82.9 % and 73.8 % of them, respectively. We noted a slight increase in the proportion of students with digestive problems by the sixth year (20.0 % in freshmen, 95 % CI: 17.0–23.0 against 24.6 % in senior students; 95 % CI: 21.4–27.8). Moderate and high levels of physical activity were reported by 60.0 % of first and 73.0 % of sixth-year students (p = 0.004). Smoking and alcohol consumption behavior became more prevalent by the final year. Conclusion: Despite the accumulation of some health problems, both first and sixth-year foreign students generally maintain a healthy lifestyle.