Lifestyle Medicine in Medical Education: Benefits for Patients, Communities, and Our Future Medical Workforce

Lifestyle Medicine (LM) is an increasingly important aspect of modern medical practice. LM focuses on sleep, healthy eating, physical activity, mental wellbeing, and the socioeconomic determinants of health. In 2019, Imperial College London introduced the 'Lifestyle Medicine and Prevention' (LMAP) module to educate medical students on these areas within a broader framework of public health ethics and practice. We hypothesised that early LM education may enhance students' insight into their own health and wellbeing. Of 364 first-year medical students invited to complete an end-of-module survey, 278 consented to share their data and 239 responded to the open-ended question analysed: 'Has your LMAP learning encouraged you to change any of your health behaviours? Please explain how'. Responses were analysed thematically. Of 239 responses, 155 students (66%) reported changes in their health behaviours after the LMAP module, 57 (24%) reported no change, and 27 (10%) described early contemplation of change. Lifestyle Medicine education may encourage reflection and positive health behaviour change amongst medical students.