Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Singapore Med J. 2019 Dec;60(12):642-651. doi: 10.11622/smedj.2019051. Epub 2019 Jun 14.
Physical inactivity is a global challenge and physicians must promote physical activity (PA) among their patients. Nevertheless, PA counselling remains inadequate due to limitations in knowledge, education and information availability. This study evaluates the understanding of PA as a health intervention and knowledge of World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines among Singapore and United Kingdom (UK) medical students, the next generation of physicians.
Students from Singapore (Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine) and the UK (Universities of Cardiff, Leicester, Oxford and Birmingham) were invited to complete a 12-item online survey. Questions assessed knowledge of WHO guidelines, understanding of PA in health and illness, personal PA levels and exposure to PA counselling in clinical practice.
Among 633 Singapore and UK students who completed the questionnaire, 94.8% believed that PA was important in preventing disease, but only 70.9% recognised its importance in treating disease. The majority (85.3%) indicated participation in PA and exercise. General understanding of WHO guidelines for adults was poor, with less than half (46.8%) correctly answering this section. 3 (0.5%) students identified that PA in adults could be accumulated in multiple ways. Understanding of PA in health and familiarity with guidelines did not differ significantly between Singapore and UK students.
There is considerable room for improvement in the knowledge of WHO guidelines and the role of PA in health. Education should begin during the undergraduate phase so that future doctors are better equipped to counsel their patients.
身体活动不足是一个全球性挑战，医生必须在患者中推广身体活动（PA）。然而，由于知识、教育和信息可用性的限制，PA 咨询仍然不足。本研究评估了新加坡和英国（英国）医学生（即未来的医生）对 PA 作为健康干预措施的理解以及对世界卫生组织（世卫组织）指南的了解。
邀请来自新加坡（杨璐林医学院和李光前医学院）和英国（卡迪夫大学、莱斯特大学、牛津大学和伯明翰大学）的学生完成了一项 12 项在线调查。问题评估了他们对世卫组织指南的了解、对 PA 在健康和疾病中的理解、个人 PA 水平以及在临床实践中接受 PA 咨询的情况。
在完成问卷的 633 名新加坡和英国学生中，94.8%的人认为 PA 对预防疾病很重要，但只有 70.9%的人认识到其在治疗疾病中的重要性。大多数（85.3%）表示参与 PA 和运动。对世卫组织成人 PA 指南的普遍了解较差，只有不到一半（46.8%）的人正确回答了这一部分。有 3（0.5%）名学生认为成人 PA 可以通过多种方式进行积累。新加坡和英国学生对 PA 在健康中的理解和对指南的熟悉程度没有显著差异。
在了解世卫组织指南和 PA 在健康中的作用方面，还有很大的改进空间。教育应在本科阶段开始，以便未来的医生能够更好地为患者提供咨询。
