15-PUB: Evaluating the Impact of Educational Intervention on Medical Student Knowledge Regarding Lifestyle Modifications

Introduction and Objective: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for approximately 80% of deaths in Egypt. This study evaluated the impact of an educational intervention on medical students’ knowledge and confidence in applying lifestyle interventions in future clinical practice, a cornerstone of NCD prevention. Methods: A structured educational session was delivered to 69 fourth-year medical students at Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. The intervention covered NCD definitions, prevalence, risk factors, lifestyle modifications, and barriers to healthy behaviors. Validated pre- and post-intervention surveys were used (p<0.001). Differences before and after the intervention were analyzed using t-tests or chi-square tests with Fisher’s exact test adjustments, as appropriate. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: The mean age of participants was 21.8 years; 32 were males, and 39 were females. At baseline, 75.8% reported being physically active, and 72.7% reported healthy eating behaviors. Post-intervention, knowledge of NCDs increased significantly from 50% to 88% (p<0.001). Students also reported a higher confidence in identifying the six pillars of lifestyle modifications (score increased from 0.1 to 1.1, p<0.001), facilitating people’s access to lifestyle programs (0.9 to 1.5, p=0.005), and identifying barriers to access (0.9 to 1.3, p=0.002). Conclusion: Educational interventions substantially enhance medical students’ knowledge and confidence in NCD prevention through lifestyle modification. Strengthening lifestyle medicine education is critical to equipping future physicians to address Egypt’s growing NCD burden. Longitudinal studies are warranted to assess sustained impact.