Knowledge and Practice of Healthy Lifestyle and Dietary Habits In Medical Students: A Study From Oman

BackgroundThe lifestyle of medical students is reasonable.One of the hardest things to do while in medical school is to be physically active; similarly, to others with busy schedules, medical students can need extra time to engage in regular exercise.The primary purpose of this study was to assess the healthy lifestyle, knowledge, and practice of a balanced diet and physical activity among medical students. MethodsA questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the College of Medicine and College of Pharmacy.The pre-tested, structured questionnaire was used.All medical students were invited to participate by completing an online questionnaire.The study questionnaire consists of three parts.The first part includes demographics.The second part relates to exercising, personal dietary habits, and other factors influencing a healthy lifestyle.An electronic survey link was sent out via email.Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS 25 software. ResultsA total of 98 students participated, of which 93 % were aged between 20 to 25 years.More than half (55 %) of the study participants perform physical activity.The common reason for physical activity was to stay physically active (35 %), for proper health (28 %), and for fun (25 %).Most study participants (72 %) do not have a balanced diet.Lack of time (43 %) and unavailability of a balanced diet (34 %) were the familiar study participants' responses regarding lack of balanced diet intake.90 % of student consumes tea or coffee, and 48 % diet or skip meal due to lack of accessibility.Lack of time (70 %) is one of the significant barriers to performing physical activity, whereas poor time management (36 %) and work-related stress (49 %) is the other contributing factor. ConclusionMedical students in their final year are aware of healthy lifestyles.However, there are some barriers to practice.The study findings help raise awareness of healthy living behaviors that can be encouraged among students who will serve as fit role models for society in the future.The College of Medicine's decision to build a fitness center and incorporate nutrition-related lectures and clinical experiences throughout the curriculum is noteworthy.