Synapse
⌘+K
Synapse
PulseExploreClubsResearchersJournals
Instagram
HomeClubsExplore
June 7, 2026Diabetes

Overweight medical students report greater skepticism regarding lifestyle modification evidence than healthy-weight peers.

View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share

Why the study?

Given the high prevalence of overweight individuals in Egypt, this study evaluated medical students' knowledge and behaviors regarding lifestyle modifications for preventing non-communicable diseases based on their weight status.

Is medical students' knowledge of lifestyle modifications associated with their body weight status?

Population

71 fourth-year medical students at Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt

Comparison

Students with healthy weight vs students who are overweight

Design

Cross-sectional study

Key result

Overweight medical students reported greater skepticism regarding evidence supporting lifestyle modifications compared to healthy-weight students (0.42 vs -0.18, p=0.022).

Authors

WLWei‐Chen LeeSDSAMANTHA DAVISMMMoosa Malik

Discussion

Loading...

Member takes

Overview

May support weight-specific education for medical trainees; leaves open causality and practice implications.

Key Points

  • This study aims to assess the knowledge and behaviors of medical students regarding lifestyle modifications in relation to their weight status.
  • Cross-sectional study design conducted among fourth-year medical students at Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
  • Participants completed a structured survey on lifestyle knowledge and behaviors, with weight and blood pressure measured.
  • Statistical comparisons used t-tests and chi-square tests, with significance set at p<0.05.
  • 60% of students had a healthy weight while 40% were overweight.
  • Overweight students had significantly higher diastolic blood pressure (81.6 mm/Hg vs. 76.0 mm/Hg, p=0.045) and greater average NCDs (1.76 vs. 1.05, p=0.017).
  • Overweight students displayed higher skepticism regarding lifestyle modifications compared to their healthy-weight peers (0.42 vs. -0.18, p=0.022).

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=71)

Multicenter

No

Structured PICO

Is medical students' knowledge of lifestyle modifications associated with their body weight status?

P
Population
71 fourth-year medical students in Egypt assessed for knowledge and behaviors regarding lifestyle modifications according to their weight status.
O
Outcome
Knowledge and behaviors regarding lifestyle modifications, blood pressure, and self-reported health conditions

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 0.42% vs -0.18%

p-value: p=0.022

Overweight medical students exhibit gaps in lifestyle-related knowledge and behaviors, higher diastolic blood pressure, and more non-communicable diseases compared to their healthy-weight peers.

Cite This Study

Lee et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Overweight (n=71). Overweight vs. Healthy weight was evaluated on Skepticism regarding evidence supporting lifestyle modifications (p=0.022). Overweight medical students reported greater skepticism regarding evidence supporting lifestyle modifications compared to healthy-weight students (0.42 vs -0.18, p=0.022).

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a250c027def13d035e1c140https://doi.org/10.2337/db26-2629-p
View Full Paper
Ask AI
Bookmark
Share