Physical activity among medical students of a tertiary care hospital in Imphal, Manipur: A cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT Background: Physical inactivity is one of the leading risk factors for noncommunicable diseases’ mortality. The habits of doctors’ and medical students’ own physical activity practices influence their clinical attitude in giving effective counseling to their patients. This study was conducted to assess the level of physical activity among medical students and to determine its association with sociodemographic variables. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students of a tertiary care hospital in Imphal. The data were collected by questionnaire method using a global physical activity questionnaire from the participants selected by convenience sampling. The level of physical activity was presented as metabolic equivalent task-min/week. Descriptive statistics and the Chi-square test were applied using SPSS vn.26, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 404 respondents participated in the study. The mean age of participants was 22.50 ± 1.60 years. One hundred and twenty-seven (31.4%) had high level, 219 (54.2%) had moderate level, and 58 (14.4%) had low level of physical activity. There was a significant association between the academic year and the level of physical activity ( P = 0.001). There was no association between gender ( P = 0.513), course of study ( P = 0.099), and level of physical activity. Conclusions: Three of 10 participants had a high level of physical activity. Policies to inculcate physical activity in the lifestyle of medical students should be taken as it is an important determinant of health.