LIFESTYLE HABITS AND INTENTIONS TO PROVIDE LIFESTYLE CONSULTATIONS FOR PATIENTS OF MEDICAL STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS

Aim. To assess the lifestyle habits of sixth-year students of the Faculty of Medicine and medical and dental residents of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences and their intentions to provide lifestyle medicine consultations to patients.Materials and methods. An anonymous, instantaneous questionnaire survey of students and residents was conducted between August and November 2022. The questionnaire contained 39 questions about the subjects' lifestyle habits and intentions to apply lifestyle knowledge when consulting patients. A link to the questionnaire and an invitation to participate in the study were distributed to students and residents via email. The response rate was 38.8 percent.Results. Females were more likely to choose fresh vegetables, fruits, and berries every day, while men were more likely to consume red meat every day and choose sweetened beverages. Males were more likely to be overweight than females. Almost two-thirds of the respondents experienced significant emotional stress. As many as 29.2 percent of the respondents consumed alcohol at least once a week, and a third smoked daily or occasionally. About half of the respondents had sufficient knowledge to provide counseling on nutrition and physical activity. A third of all respondents noted that they had sufficient knowledge to counsel patients on quitting bad habits. Most often, the respondents intended to provide counseling on nutrition and physical activity to patients (69.9 percent and 67.3 percent, respectively). Future doctors noted that lifestyle counseling is usually not provided due to a lack of time. Most indicated that a family doctor or a lifestyle medicine specialist should provide lifestyle counseling. Relationships were found between the future doctors' lifestyle and their intention to provide counseling: those who consumed fresh vegetables daily had more knowledge to provide counseling on nutrition and weight management issues, and those who exercised 2-3 times a week were more likely to provide physical activity counseling.Conclusions. Only some of the future doctors followed healthy lifestyle recommendations. Females’ lifestyle habits were healthier compared to males. Most medical students and residents are positive about counseling patients on healthy lifestyle issues, but they would like to gain more knowledge in all lifestyle areas.