Key result
The prevalence of physical activity among emergency medical students was 69.9%, with walking being the most common type of activity (51.7%).
Why the study?
Physical inactivity is a major cardiovascular risk factor, and promoting physical activity is fundamental for primary prevention, but prevalence data among healthcare students in Riyadh were needed.
Cross-Sectional (n=176)
No
Approximately 70% of emergency medical students in a Saudi Arabian cohort were physically active, highlighting a need for interventions to address the 30% who are inactive.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Suggests opportunities for activity promotion in medical training; leaves open links to performance or well-being.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Physical inactivity is 1 of the most important cardiovascular risk factors causing higher morbidity and mortality rate worldwide. Thus, the promotion of physical activity (PA) is 1 of the fundamental pillars in the primary prevention of heart disease. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of Physical Activity among healthcare Students in the Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study using paper-based printed questionnaires was conducted among Emergency medical students (EMS) from the Prince Sultan College for Emergency Medical Services King Saud University. To evaluate the physical activity, Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (16-items) developed by the World health organization was used. The questionnaires talk about activity at work (6 items), travel to and from places (3-items), recreational activities (6- items), and sedentary behavior (1-item). Both binary answers (Yes) and continuous scales were used to collect the data. Data were descriptively analyzed using a statistical package for social science version 26 (SPSS). RESULTS: The prevalence of PA among students was 69.9% (n = 123). The most common type of physical activity was walking, accounted for 51.7% (n = 91), followed by Gym/bodybuilding 25% (n = 44), running 24.4% (n = 43). A total of 7.16 mean hours (SD = 11.23) were spent by students doing vigorous-intensity activities on a typical day, while 4.93(SD = 8.84) of mean hours were spent on moderate-intensity activities. Additionally, more than half of the students 55.7% (n = 98) performed vigorous-intensity sports, fitness, or recreational activities that cause large increases in breathing or heart rate (for at least 10 minutes continuously). The mean time spent by the students in this study performing vigorous-intensity sports, and fitness activity were 4.60(SD = 10.22) mean hours per day. The sedentary behavior, like constant sitting, was reported to be 7.33 (SD = 4.24) mean hours per day. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, about 3 in ten EMS students are physically inactive, which could be due to study-related actions. Future research among undergraduates should focus on approaches to increase PA is needed.
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A 2022 study conducted a cross-sectional in Physical Activity (n=176). Physical activity was evaluated on Prevalence of physical activity. The prevalence of physical activity among emergency medical students was 69.9%, with walking being the most common type of activity (51.7%).
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